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OCTOBER 19, 2008

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WEEK SEVEN PREVIEWS
WHO ARE THE LEADING
CANDIDATES FOR
COACH OF THE YEAR?
WASHINGTON
INSIDER
CLINTON PORTIS
HARD RUNNING
IS KEYING THE
REDSKINS SUCCESSFUL
2008 CAMPAIGN
WASHINGTON
INSIDER
So far, the good outweighs the bad for Plaxico Burress.
CREATORS & FOUNDERS
Arthur Arkush, Robert Drazkowski and Joel Buchsbaum
ADMINISTRATION
Publisher/Editor Hub Arkush
General manager Mike Waters
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-chief Keith Schleiden
Managing editor Mike Holbrook
Executive editors Dan Arkush
Neil Warner
Senior editors Nolan Nawrocki
Eric Edholm
Mike Wilkening
Associate editors Matt Sohn
Dan Parr
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Production assistant Matt Quinnan
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COLUMNISTS
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AFC REPORTERS
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Buffalo Bills Chuck Pollock
Cincinnati Bengals Mark Curnutte
Cleveland Browns Tony Grossi
Denver Broncos Frank Schwab
Houston Texans Megan Manfull
Indianapolis Colts Tom James
Jacksonville Jaguars Vito Stellino
Kansas City Chiefs Rick Dean
Miami Dolphins Harvey Fialkov
New England Patriots John Tomase
New York Jets Mark Cannizzaro
Oakland Raiders Michael Wagaman
Pittsburgh Steelers Jim Wexell
San Diego Chargers Chris Jenkins
Tennessee Titans Jim Wyatt
NFC REPORTERS
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Chicago Bears Bob LeGere
Dallas Cowboys Mickey Spagnola
Detroit Lions Nicholas J. Cotsonika
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Minnesota Vikings Sean Jensen
New Orleans Saints Mike Triplett
New York Giants Paul Schwartz
Philadelphia Eagles Dave Weinberg
St. Louis Rams Jim Thomas
San Francisco 49ers Kevin Lynch
Seattle Seahawks Clare Farnsworth
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Roy Cummings
Washington Redskins John Keim
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14
CONTENTS
2 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
2008-09
PRO
PROSPECTS
PREVIEW
Look for it
on newsstands now
COVER STORY 12
Clinton Portis inspired play has lifted the surprising Redskins into con-
tention in the rugged NFC East. We look at the many ways Portis is
having a positive impact on the Redskins new offense.
HARD TO HANDLE 14
Gifted WR Plaxico Burress is a star on the field but can be a headache
off it for the team-first Giants.
FANTASY FOOTBALL 18
The Fantasy Buzz presents trends to be aware of, which players to
exploit or avoid, and the latest fantasy news heading into Week Seven.
Plus, the Fantasy Doctor offers up winning advice to help your roster.
THE WAYWE SEE IT..................3
POWER RANKINGS ..................3
THE WAYWE HEAR IT ..............4
OPINION: Editorial, letters,
Publishers Pen ..........................16
COLUMNISTS:
Jerry Magee, Ron Borges,
Dan Arkushs A-bombs ............17
HANDICAPPERS CORNER:
Staff selections,
Stephen Nover column ..........20
WEEK SEVEN GAME PREVIEWS....22
WEEK SIX GAME COVERAGE ..28
ASK THE EXPERTS....................29
INDIVIDUAL STATS LEADERS....30
TEAM STATISTICS..................32
TEAM RANKINGS....................33
2009 NFL DRAFT NOTES ......34
AUDIBLES................................35
NFLIST: Who is the NFLs
most clutch kicker? ................35
ONLYAT PROFOOTBALLWEEKLY.COM
THE WAYWE HEAR IT The Cowboys tenuous situation at cornerback
with starter Terrence Newman currently out up to a month with a
sports hernia injury no doubt has a lot to do with Adam Pacman
Jones sense of urgency to put his recent incident behind him, with his
importance as an on-the-field presence having never been greater.
MVP METER Every Tuesday during the season, PFWs Dan Parr ranks
the top 10 candidates for Most Valuable Player. See if Broncos QB Jay
Cutler is still holding on to the top spot in this weeks rankings.
START OR SIT? Check in every Friday to find out the latest fantasy
football roster recommendations based on injury updates with players
to start, bench or pick up for the weekends games.
Cover photo by Jeff Fishbein
FEATURES
DEPARTMENTS
CB-PR Adam Jones hasnt played well enough for the Cowboys for them to continue to put up with his distractions.
POWER RANKINGS
Monday-night game results not factored in.
RANK THE SKINNY
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New York Giants Fred Robbins might
be underrated element of defensive success.
Tennessee Titans Cant wait to see
what Vince Young special package entails.
Pittsburgh Steelers Bens shoulder
could be this years Plaxico Burress ankle.
Dallas Cowboys Terrell Owens now has
gone nine games without 100 yards.
Buffalo Bills Dick Jauron being cautious
with Trent Edwards, but he should play.
Washington Redskins They found
out what turnovers can do to an offense.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers Had three
interceptions off three tipped passes.
San Diego Chargers Next two weeks
will prove their road mettle.
Denver Broncos Anyone else think Jay
Cutler appeared a little bored after the loss?
Carolina Panthers All these blocked
punts are getting ridiculous.
Arizona Cardinals Special teams were
difference in big win over Cowboys.
Indianapolis Colts Who said Marvin
Harrison cant go deep anymore?
Philadelphia Eagles Might have to
forgo long kicks and start going for it more.
Jacksonville Jaguars Their tough-
ness will keep them competitive.
Atlanta Falcons Jamaal Anderson glad
to break his sackless streak with big game.
New England Patriots Will Randy
Moss keep an edge with offensive limitations?
New York Jets They could afford a few
sloppy plays from Brett Favre last week.
New Orleans Saints Cant overlook
Panthers before jump across pond.
Chicago Bears Need to find a closer in
the bullpen.
Green Bay Packers Charles Woodson
having a Pro Bowl-caliber season so far.
Minnesota Vikings Fans wont get to
boo Brad Childress again until November.
Miami Dolphins Now how about that
Wildcat defense?
Baltimore Ravens Not a team that can
carve into big leads easily.
San Francisco 49ers Didnt look like
receivers were on same page with OSullivan.
Cleveland Browns In this case, there
was good reason not to disclose the injury.
Houston Texans Next guy to fumble
must carry ball around all week, like in school.
Seattle Seahawks Division hopes slip-
ping away quickly.
Oakland Raiders Cable Guy failed to fix
offense in first outing.
St. Louis Rams Ruined knockout pools
around the country in Jim Hasletts debut.
Kansas City Chiefs They should trade
Tony Gonzalez to a contender.
Cincinnati Bengals Theyll win before
the bye week.
Detroit Lions Joe Barry called a nearly
flawless game in defeat.
Defensive problems
trump quality win
Dont read too much into
the Colts 31-3 dismantling of
the Ravens. Agood win, ab-
solutely. The start of a rever-
sion to the Colts of old, not at
all. Although the offense
could regain its swagger, its
defense is too undersized to
hold up over a 16-game
schedule. On Sunday, Indy
had the good fortune of fac-
ing a rookie passer and was
able to sell out vs. the run.
But against balanced of-
fenses, a D-line averaging
about 270 pounds wont af-
ford Indy the defensive con-
sistency to lift them into the
postseason. Matt Sohn
Youd think that Pacman Jones or Adam, or whatever hes
going by this week is one of the greatest cornerbacks and re-
turn men of all time the way the Cowboys are going out of their
way for this guy. Actually, I know what Jones name will be this
week: Adam. Thats the name he uses when he pretends to be se-
rious about becoming a good citizen and representative for his
league. Or when he faces Roger Goodell, whichever comes first.
Now, Goodell might go soft on Jones the way Cowboys owner
Jerry Jones has, but its clear that the term zero tolerance no longer
holds much weight to either Jones. If Goodell doesnt suspend
him, hes undercutting everything he has tried to establish as an
iron-fisted, velvet-gloved commissioner. Giving no quarter in this
case might be a bit extreme, but Jones has to be punished. The
Cowboys wont; they have invested a lot time, money, draft picks,
Jerry Jones spare bodyguards and still had to hedge their bets
by drafting two corners last April.
As we saw Sunday, Adam Jones is not the greatest cornerback
in the NFL, not close, and he hasnt done squat as a punt return-
er. Jones was beat several times in coverage by WR Larry
Fitzgerald. Heck, Jones is not even the best corner on his team.
So lets stop treating him like a superstar who is above anything
more than reproach and send him a stiff message. Eric Edholm
Cowboys treatment of Jones not worth trouble
RUNNING OUT OF EXCUSES
INDY ANOMALY
Punchless Bengals
going nowhere fast
Chad Johnson can kiss the
season goodbye. One week
after he inexplicably planted a
peck on the cheek of his head
coach, Marvin Lewis, during a
31-22 loss in Dallas, the 0-6
Bengals took it on the chin
again in a listless 26-14 loss to
the Jets. While the leagues
other three winless teams en-
tering Week Six showed some
real spunk with the Rams
and Texans winning their first
games and the Lions just
missing the hapless Ben-
gals were shut out in the sec-
ond half and managed a mere
171 total yards of offense.
Dan Arkush
OCHO STINKO
Rams connection
potent no more
The days of the Rams
Greatest Show on Turf are
long over, so much so that
QB Marc Bulger and WR
Torry Holt, two former fan-
tasy stalwarts, are hardly
worth using anymore. Bulger
has thrown a measly two TD
passes on the season, and
Holt is gaining a miniscule 42
yards per game. There are
players on your leagues
waiver wire that can give you
more than that. Just because
they are big names with past
success doesnt mean you
should waste space in your
lineup with this rapidly fading
duo. Michael Blunda
FANTASY DUDS
Jaguars quietly get
back in the mix
Well, well guess whos at
.500 at the bye and with
games vs. Cleveland and at
feeble Cincinnati and Detroit
next on the schedule? Yes,
its the Jaguars, such a popu-
lar playoff pick entering this
season but somewhat forgot-
ten about after season-open-
ing losses to the Titans and
Bills. In retrospect, those
losses dont look so bad, do
they? Nor does the Week Five
defeat vs. the Steelers. But
enough about moral victories
the time is right for the
Jaguars to start stringing to-
gether some actual ones.
Mike Wilkening
ON THE RISE
Our weekly take on the hottest
topics from around the NFL.
THE WAY WE SEE IT
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THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC EASTBy Matt Sohn
WHISPERS
We hear that the
Jets dramatic rise in
sack production from
last year can be at-
tributed to one man:
Kris Jenkins. The
player whom the Jets
traded for in the off-
season has been the
unquestioned defen-
sive MVP of the team
thus far, tying up mul-
tiple interior offensive
linemen to open up
lanes to the quarter-
back for the Jets
other box defenders.
The credit for Lav-
eranues Coles ex-
panding role in the
Jets offense doesnt
go to Brett Favre or
offensive coordinator
Brian Schotten-
heimer. Rather, it
goes to Coles him-
self. Word out of New
York is that Coles ap-
proached Schotten-
heimer and head
coach Eric Mangini
prior to Week Three
and let them know
that he feels he could
be a far bigger cog in
the offense than he
was at the start of the
season.
Ko Simpson won
a heated training-
camp battle with
George Wilson for
the right to be the
Bills starting free
safety, and thus far,
hes done little to
convince the coaches
that they made the
correct decision. The
problem is that Wil-
son is hardly a sound
choice either, so Buf-
falo is almost forced
to forge ahead with a
safety they lack con-
fidence in.
The Dolphins took
a risk during the off-
season in re-signing
SS Yeremiah Bell,
who had missed al-
most all of 2007 with
a torn Achilles ten-
don. Word were
hearing out of Miami
is that the Fins could-
nt be more pleased
with Bells play, as
hes developed into a
tremendous physical
presence. He only
signed a one-year
contract but could be
extended soon.
Rather than wearing down de-
fenses, RB Laurence Maroney is
beginning to wear on the patience of
the Patriots coaches. New Eng-
lands first-round pick in 2006,
Maroney not only hasnt developed
into the type of every-down back
the team believed hed be, but he
has played with such little fire that
Kevin Faulk, Sammy Morris and
LaMont Jordan all are trusted
more. After picking up a respectable
51 yards on 10 carries in Week One,
Maroney has gained just 42 yards
on 18 carries since. He was inactive
for the Week Six game in San Diego
with a shoulder injury. At the root of
his problem is his unwillingness to
sacrifice his body, often opting to
head out of bounds instead of pick-
ing up yards after contact. Although
the Pats arent yet willing to con-
cede that Maroney was a wasted
pick, hell need to show serious im-
provement soon or risk being
phased out of one of the leagues
deepest backfields.
Prior to his concussion, QB Trent
Edwards was playing fantastic. RB
Marshawn Lynch is plowing for-
ward. And the receivers, particularly
Lee Evans, are catching the ball
better than they have in years. But
the reason the Bills still rank in the
middle of the NFL in offense is be-
cause they still haven't gotten their
line to play up to its capabilities.
Much of the blame is being directed
at Jason Peters, arguably the
games most talented left tackle.
Peters missed all of training camp
in a contractual stalemate, and we
hear his missed time has put him
substantially behind in terms of
learning the protection nuances of
new offensive coordinator Turk
Schonerts scheme. And because
ORT Langston Walker had to
switch over to the left side in Peters
absence, he was behind in learning
his responsibilities on the right side.
The line already has allowed 16
sacks, one of the leagues higher
figures.
This isnt the way the Jets envi-
sioned first-round rookie OLB Ver-
non Gholston starting his career.
Gholston, whos playing outside
linebacker after spending his colle-
giate career at Ohio State with his
hand on the ground as a defensive
end, has seen spot duty at line-
backer thus far, as he has admitted
to still not having a good feel for the
position. However, there are a cou-
ple of silver linings. For one, he has
been arguably the best special-
teams performer on a team rife
with kicking-game stars. He has
come awfully close to blocking a
couple of punts, and he has been
reliable on the coverage teams. Ad-
ditionally, he would have had to be
an absolute OLB menace early on
to overtake Bryan Thomas for the
starting job opposite Calvin Pace.
Thomas has made good on his off-
season resolution to play with more
of a sense of purpose following his
lackluster 2007 campaign, as he al-
ready has recorded 4
1
2 sacks.
Creative play-calling is one thing.
Running a completely foreign align-
ment is another thing altogether. In
the NFL, theres a tacit under-
standing amongst coaches that
operating a quality offense re-
quires balance. But the Dolphins
have turned conventional wisdom
on its head by utilizing the Wild-
cat upward of a dozen times a
game. As Gus Malzahn told PFW,
You have to give the Dolphins
coaching staff a lot of credit.
Theyre incredibly courageous for
running it. And for them to be suc-
cessful with it is very impressive.
Although hes most revered for
his work with the spread offense,
Malzahn is the original architect of
the Wildcat from his days as the
coach at Springdale (Ark.) High
School, where he won three state
titles before signing on to coordi-
nate the offense at the University
of Arkansas. When I first got (to
Arkansas), we saw we had three
tremendous players in (RBs) Dar-
ren McFadden, Felix Jones and
(FB) Peyton Hillis, Malzahn said.
Our goal was to get those guys
onto the field at once, so we played
around with things, and we just
kind of went from there.
In essence, the Wildcat is an
offshoot of the single wing. It calls
for two running backs to be on the
field at once, with one lining up as a
quarterback would in the shotgun.
Furthermore, it calls for an unbal-
anced, reshuffled line, often with
two natural tackles playing on the
weak side. Malzahns successor at
Arkansas in 2007, David Lee, con-
tinued to feature the alignment
prominently and brought it with
him to the Dolphins after accepting
a post as QB coach. In Miami, Ron-
nie Brown has played the part of
McFadden, and Ricky Williams
has operated as Jones.
Theres a lot of teams that run
out of the spread, Malzahn said.
But defenses have learned how to
adjust for that. When you have two
great running backs to account for
out of a tightly wound and an un-
balanced formation, it messes with
traditional defensive structures.
However, Malzahn did admit that
the Wildcat, like any new offense,
has a shelf life of maximum effec-
tiveness.
Footballs a game of trends,
Malzahn said. There are times when
certain things get hot, and everyone
wants to try it out. You get better at
it, you see it develop, but after a
while, you need to change things up
as defenses learn to adjust.
Jets rookie Vernon Gholston is still adjusting to the switch from college defensive end to pro linebacker.
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MIAMI
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4 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC NORTHBy Mike Wilkening
WHISPERS
Much is being
made about the type
of pass rusher that
Steelers LOLB
LaMarr Woodley
(5
1
2 sacks) has be-
come, but a source
close to the club has
come away im-
pressed with the
strides Woodley has
made in pass cover-
age no small feat
for a converted colle-
giate defensive end
whos only in his sec-
ond season at his
new position.
With Bengals WR
Chad Ocho Cinco
catching only 19
passes in his first six
games of the season,
the attention in
Cincinnati has
turned, the way we
hear it, to how hell
react if his produc-
tion continues to lag.
Johnson already
raised some eye-
brows in the week
leading up to the Oct.
12 game at the Jets
when he offered a
vague theory a
riddle, he called it
as to why his catches
are down. My ankles
fine, my shoulders
fine, but for those
who dont know why
Im not getting the
ball, I have my own
little philosophy on
whats going on,
Johnson said, ac-
cording to The
Cincinnati Enquirer.
And I broke it down
like this: Never, ever,
ever, ever go against
the monster, because
the monster always
wins.Johnson de-
clined to say who the
monster was.
The sense in Cleve-
land is while Mike
Adams has played
relatively well at
strong safety in place
of Sean Jones
(knee), the defense
will get a lift when
Jones returns to the
lineup.
The Steelers start-
ing ORG job appears
to be Darnell Sta-
pletons going for-
ward after he played
well at Jacksonville in
Week Five.
Ravens PK Matt Stover
missed three field goals in his first
five games of the 2008 season,
more than he missed in the entire
2006 season and as many as he
missed in all of the '04 campaign.
In short, the Ravens arent used to
seeing Stover struggle. This has
led to speculation about whether
Stover, 40, has finally hit the
downside of his career. But the
way we hear it, Stovers job is un-
likely to be in any immediate dan-
ger; a fixture with the franchise
ever since it moved from Cleve-
land, Stover, a free agent at sea-
sons end, will get the benefit of
the doubt. Whats more, his leg
strength is not a concern, either,
given that he is averaging more
than 63 yards per kickoff for the
third consecutive season. If Stover
can recapture the form that has
made him one of the NFL's most
consistent kickers, he won't have
many job security concerns now
and in the immediate future.
The Steelers are allowing only
66.8 yards per game on the ground
and this is with DE Brett Keisel
missing three games and NT
Casey Hampton missing two.
The Steelers' ability to stop the run
without those key players speaks
to the talents of reserves Chris
Hoke (nose tackle) and Travis
Kirschke (defensive end). Hoke
long has been an important part of
the defense; Hampton just isn't
able to log that many snaps, and
Hoke's strength and stamina have
earned him considerable respect
among his teammates. Another
factor that has contributed to the
Steelers' tough run "D": DLE
Aaron Smith is healthy and play-
ing at a high level. In Smith's last 16
regular-season starts (11 in 2007
and five this season), the Steelers
are allowing 70.2 rushing yards per
game. Contrast this to the five reg-
ular-season starts Smith missed in
07, when Pittsburgh surrendered
129.8 rushing yards per game.
With a brutal schedule upcom-
ing, the Browns realize its now or
never if they are to get back into
the AFC North race. The good news
is that entering the Week Six Mon-
day-nighter vs. the Giants, the
Browns had been as healthy as
they had been all season, with the
return of WR Dont Stallworth
especially expected to provide a lift
to an offense that was unable to
consistently stretch the field in the
first quarter of the 08 campaign.
And that could be a major boost to
QB Derek Andersons fortunes.
Andersons struggles in September
led to speculation he could lose his
job, but he was able to bounce back
and lead Cleveland to its first win of
the season in Week Four. Anderson
rewarded head coach Romeo
Crennels patience on that occa-
sion, but the way we hear it, the
burning question in Cleveland is
whether Crennel will be able to be
that patient again if Anderson plays
poorly for an extended stretch.
There is little doubt the Bengals
think highly of RB Chris Perry.
They were patient with him even
after injuries caused him to miss
most of the 2004 and 06 seasons
and all of the 07 campaign, and he
rewarded their faith with a very
good training camp this season.
When it came time to choose a
starting running back, the Bengals
chose Perry, not incumbent Rudi
Johnson, who was then released.
But Perry hasnt exactly taken
the job and run with it. In his first
six starts, Perry fumbled five times.
In a recent interview with PFW,
longtime Bengals RB coach Jim
Anderson, while chalking up
Perrys fumbles to bad luck, also
noted, You can find all the rea-
sons, but a running back, his job is
to hold onto the ball.
As Perry has struggled some-
what, new competition for carries
in Cincinnati has emerged. Ex-
Bear Cedric Benson, signed
after injuries to Kenny Watson
and DeDe Dorsey, has made a
positive first impression with his
new club. Already he has earned a
role in the offense; just five days
after signing with the Bengals,
Benson rushed 10 times for 30
yards at Dallas. He followed that
up in Week Six with four carries for
six yards.
Benson fell out of favor with the
Bears largely because of qualms
about his lack of production in his
only season as a starter and dis-
gust over him being arrested twice
in the span of a little less than a
month in the offseason. (Charges
in both cases were dropped the
week before he signed with the
Bengals.) But Anderson told PFW
that Benson looks rejuvenated
after not being with an NFL club at
the beginning of the season.
"Everyday he is working to play
better," Anderson said.
In Cincinnati, Benson has gotten
a fresh start and could push for
more playing time in the weeks to
come, especially if he can become
an asset in the passing game. A
scenario where Benson and Perry
alternate series is not far-fetched.
It should be noted the Bengals are
still pleased with some of Perry's
performance this season, with An-
derson praising his versatilty and
competitiveness.
The Bengals have been looking
for a way to jump-start their run-
ning game for the past couple of
years. They were 26th in rushing in
2006, 24th in 07 and are among
the lowest-ranked teams in 08.
After failing in Chicago, RB Cedric Benson is getting a second chance with the Bengals.
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5 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC SOUTHBy Mike Wilkening and Matt Sohn
WHISPERS
The Colts are in no
rush to plug Tony
Ugoh back into the
starting OLT job. Al-
though hes still the
best option they have
when hes healthy, his
spotty play this sea-
son has the coaches
content to allow him
to heal 100 percent
from his groin injury
before inserting him
back in the lineup
ahead of OT-OG hy-
brid Charlie John-
son.
We hear that OG
Chris Naeole, who
was signed Sept. 17
after a rash of injuries
to the Jaguars inte-
rior offensive line, is
closer to returning to
the field than C Brad
Meester (biceps).
Naeole tore his ante-
rior cruciate ligament
in midseason of 2007
and is almost back to
full strength. Meester,
the O-lines anchor,
still could be out sev-
eral more weeks.
The Justin
Forsett experiment
didnt work. The Colts
signed the explosive
rookie from California
in an attempt to add
more pop to their
humdrum return
game, but it didnt
work out. After the
Colts waived him, CB
Keiwan Ratliff
(punts) and WR
Pierre Garcon
(kickoffs) will handle
the return duties.
The Titans are not
going to take any
chances if P Craig
Hentrichs back pain
flares up during the
season, so dont be
surprised if they have
to call again on vet-
eran Josh Miller,
who filled in for Hen-
trich once last sea-
son under similar
circumstances and
was added to the ros-
ter in Week Five in the
event Hentrich could
not go.
The transformation that WR
Matt Jones has made has come
as a bit of a shock to those close to
the Jaguars. The clubs first-round
draft pick in 2005, Jones was con-
sidered a long shot to even make
the team in training camp, but was
kept around in part because of in-
juries to presumed No. 1 and No. 2
WRs Jerry Porter and Reggie
Williams. Yet even with the
healthy return of those two, Jones
has established himself as QB
David Garrards favorite target,
leading the club with 30 receptions
for 338 yards. His bid to stay atop
the WR pecking order was made all
the stronger after he opted to
enter a drug intervention program
last week instead of standing trial
on felony cocaine charges. Word
out of Jacksonville is that Jones
has worked his way back into the
good graces of the coaches, al-
though that is partially attributable
to the Jags need for somebody to
step up on the outside.
CB Cortland Finnegan is well-
liked by his teammates, and his dis-
pute with LB Keith Bulluck in the
clubs Week Five win at Baltimore is
likely to be a non-issue going foward.
Bulluck shoved Finnegan after the
emotional corner was flagged for an
unnecessary-roughness penalty
early in the third quarter. Finnegan
has earned a reputation for his
tough, fiery play, but that bubbled
over in the form of a pair of penalties
during the Ravens only TD drive.
The first was an offsetting foul, but
the second put the Ravens on the
Tennessee 11 and caused Bulluck to
act. Keith kind of summed it up
best when he said, Hey, were team-
mates, were brothers, and every
once in a while you have an argu-
ment on the back lawn' kind of
thing,Titans coach Jeff Fisher
said. Cortland was penalized and
Keith said basically something along
the lines of, Enoughs enough and
Cortland said, I didnt do anything, I
shouldnt have been penalized.'
We hear that the news that
Dwight Dixon, the alleged victim
of a Philadelphia gunfire incident,
is suing Marvin Harrison hardly
registered a blip on the Colts radar
screen. Although Harrison has ad-
mitted that his gun fired the bullets
outside a garage in his hometown
of Philadelphia and that he had
been engaged in heated exchanges
with Dixon, he has denied having
any part of the attack. The police
have stated that they are no closer
to charging Harrison, and that the
lawsuit is not indicative of any rev-
elations of the police. Harrison
caught three passes for 83 yards
and two TDs in Week Six, his high-
est level of production this season.
Because of his keen awareness of
Tom Moores offense and his rap-
port with Peyton Manning, Harri-
sons contributions will be needed
even more as the Colts look to em-
ploy more of the no-huddle look
following the healthy return of their
interior O-linemen.
Stunned and angry but staying
the course. That sums up where
the last-place Texans are after a
trying start to the season.
Any speculation about sweeping
changes to the club was likely
dashed when Texans owner Bob
McNair gave head coach Gary
Kubiak a vote of confidence after
the club lost its first four games. By
far the most devastating defeat
was the Week Five loss to Indi-
anapolis in which Houston blew a
17-point lead with less than five
minutes left, but McNair found no
fault with the game plan.
Id say our coaching staff is
doing a fine job, McNair told re-
porters. The players were pre-
pared. They executed well. They
played hard. What could anybody
else do?
Kubiak is signed through the
2010 season. And general manager
Rick Smith, who works closely
with Kubiak, had his contract ex-
tended through 2012 in June.
The way we hear it, the club has
come away with some positives
even in the midst of such a disap-
pointing start.
Atop the list has been the play of
the clubs quarterbacks. Starter
Matt Schaub has bounced back
after turnovers plagued his first
two starts, giving rise to hope hes
putting it all together after a largely
uneven beginning to his Texans ca-
reer. Backup Sage Rosenfels im-
pressed for much of his lone start
of the season in Week Five before
fumbling twice and throwing an in-
terception in a span of a little more
than two minutes late in the fourth
quarter. Nevertheless, were told
Rosenfels teammates always
seem to rally around him when
hes in the game, and there is no-
ticeably little drop-off when he is
running the offense.
Another silver lining has been
the improved play of the defensive
line, which played about as well as
it had all season collectively vs. In-
dianapolis. DE Mario Williams,
who netted a pair of sacks and a
forced fumble in Week Six, when
the Texans pulled off their first win
of 2008 by beating Miami, contin-
ues to play at a Pro Bowl level. Also,
the club is getting a little more out
of DT Amobi Okoye, who was a
disappointment in the seasons
first month.
These are trying times for the
Texans, but at the very least, their
owner is attempting to keep his
spirits up and take a long view on
things.
Despite a rough start in 2008, Texans coach Gary Kubiak has received a vote of confidence from ownership.
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INDIANAPOLIS
COLTS
HOUSTON
TEXANS
6 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
AFC WESTBy Dan Parr and Michael Blunda
WHISPERS
Some of the recent
problems for Charg-
ers RB LaDainian
Tomlinson undoubt-
edly can he attrib-
uted to his injured
toe, but we also hear
that the offensive line
has not been opening
the same holes for
him as they have in
years past. Even with
OLT Marcus Mc-
Neill and C Nick
Hardwick back from
injuries, L.T. has had
little room to maneu-
ver, resulting in num-
bers well below his
expectations.
We hear the Chiefs
have been pleasantly
surprised by the play
of OLT Herb Taylor,
who has been filling
in for the injured
Branden Albert. In
fact, once Albert re-
turns, the team is
considering moving
Taylor to right tackle,
where he would sup-
plant Damion McIn-
tosh in the starting
lineup.
Like teammate
Jarvis Moss, Tim
Crowder has been
another disappoint-
ing second-year de-
fensive end for the
Broncos. Crowder
played very well at
times last season as
a rookie, and close
observers of the
team say he showed
signs of becoming a
capable two-way end,
serving as both a
sound run stuffer and
pass rusher. How-
ever, he appears to
have regressed this
season.
Raiders QB JaMar-
cus Russell isnt
helping what ap-
peared to be a good
relationship with
owner Al Davis.
Davis tried to discon-
nect former head
coach Lane Kiffin
from the team when
he fired Kiffin, but
Russell is taking his
own approach. Rus-
sell said Kiffin called
him to discuss strat-
egy against the Saints
before the Week Six
game and said that
the ex-head coach
speaks with him on a
regular basis.
Sources in Denver arent buying
into the Broncos public flirtation
with moving DE Jarvis Moss to
outside linebacker. Moss has been
a major disappointment since the
team spent its first-round pick,
17th overall, on the Florida prod-
uct in 2007 and close observers
are skeptical that the coaching
staff is serious about a position
change. The Broncos are happy
with their top four linebackers and
Moss, who missed 10 games last
season after he broke his shin,
cant even be counted amongst
the squads top seven defensive
linemen, we hear. He hasnt even
suited up in three of Denvers six
games during a period in which
the team has been starved for an
improved pass rush. Coaches
must not have seen enough from
Moss to even give him a chance.
Moss is built more like a line-
backer than a defensive end, but
he doesnt seem to fit at either
position.
If youre baffled by the poor play
of the Chargers defense early in
the season, youre not the only
one. The team itself cannot figure
out how a unit relatively intact from
2007 has struggled so mightily in
08. We hear that prior to Week
Sixs improved showing vs. the Pa-
triots, defensive coordinator Ted
Cottrell was beginning to feel
some heat to get things turned
around. Sources close to the situa-
tion cite overconfidence as one of
the main reasons why the D has-
nt looked sharp every week, and
one player who especially seems to
be lacking focus is CB Antonio
Cromartie. APro Bowler and the
league leader in interceptions in
07, Cromartie hasnt been stellar
in coverage and has already
dropped a handful of easy picks,
something he was never guilty of
last season. Also, the loss of LB
Shawne Merriman may have had
a bigger impact than the Chargers
realized.
Almost all of the Raiders assis-
tant coaches, many of whom were
picked by ex-head coach Lane Kif-
fin, face uncertain futures and likely
dismissals after the season. But de-
fensive coordinator Rob Ryan is a
safe bet to stick around. Ryan is a
favorite of Al Davis. When Kiffin
tried to fire Ryan in the offseason,
Davis stepped in and overruled his
young head coach. Sources say
Ryan is a good, reliable company
man hes open to what Davis has
to say and takes his advice into con-
sideration when he implements
strategy. Team insiders were a bit
surprised when Davis chose O-line
coach Tom Cable as Kiffins suc-
cessor, rather than Ryan. Davis ex-
plained his decision, saying he
considered Ryan but believed Ryan
was too important to the defense.
Sources said its very likely Ryan will
be strongly considered for the head-
coaching job this offseason if Cable
is not retained. Oakland lost 34-3 in
Cables debut as head coach.
With the Chiefs off to a 1-4 start
and no indications of improvement
in sight, fans and media alike are
calling for heads to roll. Whether it
be someone in the front office,
coaching staff or both, the people
of Kansas City are awaiting a public
execution. The way we hear it, how-
ever, the drastic changes theyre
looking for dont appear to be on
the horizon.
Chiefs President/GM/CEO Carl
Peterson, the man responsible for
the current makeup of the roster,
would seem to be the obvious fall
guy for the teams struggles. After
all, he is the one who decided that
this course of action was in the
best interest of the organization.
But we hear Peterson made some
commitments to late owner
Lamar Hunt that he intends to
fulfill.
Two of the major ones guiding
the franchise through its transition
period and overseeing the renova-
tions to Arrowhead Stadium
should be complete by the end of
the 2009 season, which just hap-
pens to be when Petersons con-
tract is up. He has expressed
privately that at that point, he fully
plans to retire, and if present
Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is any-
thing like his father, he will allow
Peterson to do just that.
We understand that Lamar Hunt
was extremely patient some-
times to a fault which is one of
the main reasons why Peterson
has remained in power for 20 sea-
sons despite the fact that K.C. has-
nt won a playoff game since 1993.
And unless Clark Hunt has a dra-
matically different philosophy, Pe-
terson is not expected to be fired
before his contract expires.
The same goes for head coach
Herm Edwards, whom Peterson
trusts to help rebuild the club. If
Peterson is only planning to stick
around for another season, its
very unlikely that he would axe Ed-
wards, a close friend of his, before
he leaves town.
When Kansas City does finally
decide to make changes in its front
office, though, we hear that a seri-
ous overhaul can be expected. The
team will not have one person han-
dle the responsibilities of GM, CEO
and president, like Peterson is
doing. Instead, Hunt is likely to hire
different individuals for these posi-
tions, so as not to have one man
ruling over all facets of the organi-
zation. That is just one of many al-
terations Chiefs fans will see
beginning in 2010.
Chargers CB Antonio Cromartie has not been the playmaker in 2008 that he was last season.
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CHARGERS
OAKLAND
RAIDERS
KANSAS CITY
CHIEFS
7 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC EASTBy Eric Edholm
WHISPERS
Cowboys ORT Marc
Colombo quietly is
setting himself up for
a nice payday this off-
season. Though hes
not considered the
most athletic tackle in
the game, Colombo
has shown he can get
into space and play
with power. He could
rate as the top free-
agent tackle available
in next years crop.
Sources marvel at
the job that OLG Pete
Kendall is doing. The
Redskins have be-
come a left-handed
running team, often
sending Clinton Por-
tis right over
Kendalls backside.
And Kendall is getting
it done, muscling big-
ger, stronger defen-
sive tackles and
cleaning out lineback-
ers even at age 35
with ailing knees. Hes
a big reason why the
Redskins have been
so strong up front.
The Giants defen-
sive ends tend to get
most of the credit, but
DT Fred Robbins is
having a terrific start
to his season. He is
getting off the snap in
a flash and already is
threatening his career
high for sacks, which
is 5
1
2 (he had four
through Week Five).
Robbins sees a lot of
single blocking, but
he has been an un-
derrated force on the
Giants front.
Eagles WR De-
Sean Jackson still
needs refinement as
a receiver. Despite his
nice start, Jackson,
team sources say,
has a tendency to run
sloppy routes and
round off his patterns
too much in an of-
fense that expects
him to be more pre-
cise. Though his pro-
duction has been
better to date than
any other rookie re-
ceiver under Andy
Reid, Jackson must
continue to get better
at the finer points,
because hes costing
his team first downs
when QB Donovan
McNabb cant find
an open receiver.
Observers of QB Eli Manning
through his sometimes-tumultuous
career often used the words com-
fortable,confident and consis-
tent as reasons why he hadnt
succeeded. But following a Super
Bowl run and a 4-0 start to this sea-
son heading into their Week Six
Monday-nighter, those same rea-
sons are the positive traits that
Manning has shown that have
turned his career around almost
completely. He seldom has looked
rushed or panicked, rarely has dis-
played timidity in big situations or
shown signs of the rough patches
for which he previously had been
known during. Ateam source says
Manning has grown into his body
and matured greatly the past year
and now has become very cognizant
of not making bad plays. He has
come to realize that with a strong
defense, a rock of an offensive line, a
deep RB group and good receivers,
he doesnt have to force plays and
can take very few chances.
Starting with what we do know,
CB Terence Newman (abdominal
strain) missed Sundays game
against the Cardinals and will be out
for an extended period of time.
Newman underwent sports hernia
surgery, which will knock him out
for 4-6 weeks. That put Adam
Jones at left corner, where he
played well vs. the Bengals in Week
Five, but Jones struggled at times
vs. Larry Fitzgerald in Week Six.
But following an alleged incident in
which Jones got into a fight with a
personal bodyguard, considering he
was reinstated with a zero-toler-
ance policy, Jones could face a
league suspension. That would
leave the Cowboys with their top
three corners as Anthony Henry
and two rookies, Mike Jenkins and
Orlando Scandrick. Alan Ball
would be the dime corner if Jones
were out. Compound that with in-
juries to safeties Roy Williams and
Pat Watkins, and the Cowboys are
very thin in the defensive backfield.
Durant Brooks, a sixth-round
pick who was considered the
strongest-legged punter in the draft
this year and who beat out incum-
bent Derrick Frost for the job in
training camp, is getting a taste of
how tenuous an NFL career can be.
The Redskins are near the bottom
of the NFL in both gross and net
punting yardage, and Brooks week-
to-week consistency has been a big
issue. Hes still not getting enough
hang time on his punts and is strug-
gling to hit back-to-back good
punts. Special-teams coach Danny
Smith is a stickler for details and is
expecting his rookie to average a
gross punt of 45 yards with a 4.5-
second hang time, and Brooks is
capable of it. The problem is that
Brooks tends to follow a very good
kick with a bad one, or vice versa. If
Brooks doesnt improve he has
gotten better at handling field-goal
placements we hear the Red-
skins wont hesitate to find a re-
placement.
When the Redskins reviewed the
tape of their 23-17 win over the Ea-
gles in Week Five, they marveled at
how impressive the Eagles offense
looked on the first drive and even
into their second possession. Most
teams script their first 15 plays
every week, as the Eagles do, and
head coach Andy Reid and offen-
sive coordinator Marty Mornhin-
weg are about as good a pair in
this regard as there is in the NFL.
The Eagles gained 102 yards (in-
cluding nine penalty yards on a
pass interference) on the first 15
offensive snaps. But the team had
only 152 yards of offense on the
next 32 plays and scored only
three more points.
In their Week Six victory over the
49ers, the Eagles racked up 66
yards and a touchdown in their
first 15 offensive snaps, but they
also made a conscious effort to
keep some bread-and-butter plays
to use later in the game.
Still, the second-half offense re-
mains somewhat of a problem of
late. In the past five games, the
team has scored only two offensive
touchdowns after the first half.
Another problem has been red-
zone conversions, which was an
issue last season. The team has
only 12 touchdowns in 26 trips in-
side the opponents 20-yard line,
and since Week Three that touch-
down rate has been 5-of-15.
The good news is that the team
is 3-3 with the softer part of their
schedule plus the Week Seven bye
ahead. It still has four divisional
games left, including two against
the unbeaten Giants, and has
some manageable road games.
Plus, the team has done this be-
fore, coming back from a 5-6
record in 2006 to win the division.
There are several reasons for the
inconsistency. Not having ORG
Shawn Andrews despite Reid
saying Max Jean-Gilles is doing
a fine job has hurt the run
game, which is gaining only 3.7
yards per carry and has accounted
for only 32 first downs. Also, RB
Brian Westbrook has missed
parts of three games (including
being declared inactive in Week
Six) with ankle and rib injuries.
The short-yardage and goal-line
troubles against the Bears and
Redskins have led the Eagles to
use Dan Klecko, listed as a defen-
sive tackle on the depth chart,
more at fullback over first-stringer
Tony Hunt, who is more of a tail-
back in a fullbacks role.
Giants QB Eli Manning has matured greatly in the past year, developing into one the NFLs top passers.
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DALLAS
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WASHINGTON
REDSKINS
PHILADELPHIA
EAGLES
8 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC NORTHBy Dan Arkush and Eric Edholm
WHISPERS
According to ex-
Packer Tracy White,
who head coach
Mike McCarthy
said was the teams
top special-teams
player the past few
seasons, the Packers
cut him because the
Dolphins wanted to
sign LB Danny
Lansanah off Green
Bays practice squad,
and the Packers re-
ally like the potential
of Lansanah, who has
replaced White on
the roster.
The Lions are try-
ing to get a few of
their younger defen-
sive players, such as
LB Jordon Dizon
and DE Cliff Avril,
more snaps going
forward. The problem
is that neither has
done much to date,
and the coaches
think they might be a
little over their heads
at first. The defense
cant afford to get
much worse as it is.
We hear Vikings LB
Erin Henderson
might get more of a
chance to play going
forward, especially
with teammate and
brother E.J. Hen-
derson out for the
season. The coaches
will be asking OLBs
Ben Leber and
Chad Greenway to
stay on the field on
nickel situations, so
you might see Hen-
derson take a series
in the middle of the
game at either OLB
spot going forward.
Our Bears sources
continue to be very
impressed with de-
fensive assistant
coach Lloyd Lee.
Hes very intelligent,
a lot sharper than
most guys in his role,
one team insider told
PFW. I could see him
becoming a very hot
commodity not too
far down the road.
We hear Packers
starting DT Ryan
Pickett continues to
be plagued by ten-
dinitis in his right
knee but is managing
to get by.
The Vikings defensive players
came to regard E.J. Henderson as
the units leader following an out-
standing 2007 season when he
moved from the weak side to mid-
dle linebacker. And Henderson was
off to another terrific start in 08
before suffering a season-ending in-
jury to his toes. In the short term,
the replacement will be David Her-
ron, who started in Weeks Five and
Six and had three tackles. But it ap-
pears that the team will consider
moving an outside linebacker
most likely Ben Leber to replace
Henderson at some point. Herron is
primarily a special-teamer, and al-
though he did not look out of place
in the Saints game, he is neither the
tackler nor the blitzer, much less
the leader, that Henderson is. Her-
ron played mostly on first and sec-
ond downs, coming off in nickel
packages. Lebers shortcoming
comes in coverage, but he fared
well in Hendersons absence, even
in passing situations.
While Tommie Harris, the
leagues highest-paid defensive
tackle, has been grabbing more
headlines more because of his
problems off the field than his pro-
duction on the field Dusty Dvo-
racek, the Bears other starting
DT, has been playing excellent foot-
ball under the radar all season and
getting better every week. Through
six games, Dvoracek has 21 tack-
les, second only to DE Adewale
Ogunleye (23) among the teams
D-linemen, and six tackles for loss.
Those are great numbers for the
position he plays, one daily Bears
observer told PFW. And he was in-
strumental in that goal-line stand
against the Eagles that might have
turned the season around.While
Harris limited playing time has
been cause for concern, Dvo-
raceks considerable time on the
field has been a most pleasant sur-
prise after he had logged only 10
snaps in the preseason due to an
injured calf.
Swept under the rug of the sus-
pect moves that former GM Matt
Millen green-lit was the preseason
extension given to CB Leigh Bod-
den, who was one of the key pieces
acquired in the Shaun Rogers
trade to Cleveland. Bodden re-
ceived a four-year extension this
offseason that included an $8.6
million roster bonus due prior to
the 2009 season. The Lions have
viewed him as a rising player, and
they believed his six interceptions
last season showed he has a knack
for making plays. He had yet to
show much of that prior to Sunday,
though he came up with a nice in-
terception and had both a forced
fumble and a fumble recovery
against the Vikings and appeared
to be flagged wrongly for a pass-in-
terference call on the Vikings
game-winning drive. The Lions still
will face a tough decision on Bod-
den this offseason and must decide
if hes a good fit in their predomi-
nantly zone-coverage scheme.
The Packers defense has had its
share of problems so far this sea-
son. But one position that has
never been stronger is the free
safety spot, which has been han-
dled masterfully by fourth-year pro
Nick Collins despite persistent
back problems.
Collins has three interceptions,
one fewer than he had his first three
seasons combined, and is finally liv-
ing up to the steady playmaking
promise that he had only flashed on
occasion before this season.
For one thing, Collins is doing a
much better job this season of
holding on to passes, a big problem
previously. This season he has dis-
played excellent hands and done a
great job of diagnosing plays.
The way we hear it straight
from Collins mouth in a recent
phone interview film study has
been the key to his noticeable im-
provement.
I have taken a lot more time to
study film, Collins told PFW. I
watch film regularly with the vet-
eran guys (CBs Charles Woodson
and Al Harris, the latter currently
out with a spleen injury). They let
me know how to read the routes of
the different receivers were going
to be facing, and Ive been doing a
great job of picking up on things.
Collins said Woodson, in particu-
lar, deserves a major assist for his
newfound success.
Oh, man, hes been just like an
older brother to me, Collins said of
Woodson, who has been providing
further inspiration due to the fact
that he, too, is gutting it out at less
than full strength with a broken toe
suffered in Week One. Hes always
there to correct me when I make a
mistake and to offer me encour-
agement when I do something
good. Hes always trying to bring
out the best in me.
As for his back, Collins said it
could continue to be a problem but
that its something he can manage.
I think Im going to have to deal
with it for the rest of the year,
Collins said. Hopefully the bye
week (Week Eight) will calm things
down a bit. Alittle injury isnt going
to stop me. Im a warrior. Our train-
ers are doing a nice job of getting
me ready every Sunday.
Few put more work into getting
ready for games than Collins, who
has earned a reputation as a de-
voted note taker.
Its something Ive been doing
since my rookie year, he said. Not
just for me, but also to help out the
younger guys.
The Lions awarded a contract extension to CB Leigh Bodden, who is having an up-and-down season.
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S
MINNESOTA
VIKINGS
CHICAGO
BEARS
DETROIT
LIONS
GREEN BAY
PACKERS
9 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC SOUTHBy Dan Parr
WHISPERS
Sources in New Or-
leans dont expect
RB Pierre Thomas
to be heavily involved
in the Saints offense
for the rest of this
season, barring an in-
jury. Thomas has re-
mained on
kickoff-return duty,
but his time in the
backfield has de-
clined since Deuce
McAllister took on a
greater role in the of-
fense in Week Four.
Word is head coach
Sean Payton does
not like to game-plan
for three running
backs, and for now,
Reggie Bush and
McAllister are Nos. 1
and 2. Thomas has a
future with the team,
we hear, but he may
be stuck in the back-
seat the rest of this
season.
The Falcons have
struggled to get
much of a pass rush
from anyone but DE
John Abraham, and
sources say one of
the reasons has been
that OLB Michael
Boley is dropping
into coverage, rather
than blitzing, much
more often than in
past years. Abraham
has seven of the
teams 10 sacks
through Week Six. In
order to get more
pressure, we hear At-
lanta may want to
consider tweaking
their plan to let Boley
loose more fre-
quently.
We hear Bucs WR
Joey Galloway is
hoping to be back in
Week Seven from a
foot sprain that has
sidelined him since
the second game of
the season. Ob-
servers of the team
say if hes at full
speed when he re-
turns, hell be a dif-
ference maker.
Tampa has struggled
to stretch the field,
and defenses have
been cutting off the
deep pass with great
success since Gal-
loway went down.
There still is time for Falcons DE
Jamaal Anderson to develop into
a star, but at this point, its safe to
say he is far from the player Atlanta
thought it was getting when it
spent the eighth overall pick on him
in 2007, the way we hear it. Top-10
picks are expected to be more than
just steady players. Thats all An-
derson is, though, according to Fal-
cons insiders. He plays the run well,
but in 22 career starts, the
Arkansas product has registered
just a single sack. His first sack as a
pro came last week when he took
down Kyle Orton in Atlantas 22-
20 win. Upon entering the draft,
Anderson was billed as a speed
rusher with an explosive burst.
However, this season on passing
downs, Atlanta has been moving
him inside and bringing in another
defensive end to rush from the
edge. Despite Anderson's limita-
tions, sources say the coaching
staff is satisfied with his production
and its far from giving up on him.
Surgery forced Saints CB Tracy
Porter to the injured-reserve list
after he suffered a dislocated right
wrist in a Week Five loss to the
Vikings, leaving the team with a
gap in a place where it can ill afford
one. New Orleans had long been
waiting for a playmaker to emerge
in its secondary and Porter, a
rookie, showed signs of becoming
that type of player. He earned a
starting job in camp and brought a
speed element the Saints defen-
sive backfield lacked. Close ob-
servers said, aside from Mike
McKenzie, Porter performed as
well as any of the corners through
the first five games of the season.
In his absence, Randall Gay will
take over as a starter alongside
McKenzie. Gay was credited with
four tackles and three passes de-
fensed in the Week Six win over
Oakland. Jason David or Aaron
Glenn, who has been sidelined
since Week Two by an ankle injury,
will handle nickel responsibilities.
Sources in Tampa say Jon Gru-
den is frustrated with his offensive
line's undisciplined play. While he
hasn't mentioned ORT Jeremy
Trueblood by name, it's believed
much of his disappointment is di-
rected toward the third-year pro.
The O-line consistently has hurt it-
self with penalties and Trueblood
was flagged three times in a Week
Five loss to the Broncos. Without
singling anyone out, Gruden said if
the issues continue, he'll make a
change. Trueblood was not flagged
in Week Six. Observers say True-
blood might not have to worry
much, since backup OTs Anthony
Davis and James Lee are not legit-
imate replacements. The only po-
tential fill-in is rookie Jeremy
Zuttah. He did a nice job at right
guard, starting the first four games
of the season while Davin Joseph
recovered from a broken foot. Zut-
tah has worked almost exclusively
as an interior lineman, but he did
play both tackle positions in college.
The hot seat is just a few bad
Sundays away for many NFL head
coaches. Few know that better than
John Fox in Carolina. However, for
the time being, inside sources say
the Panthers strong start their
27-3 loss to the Bucs in Week Six
notwithstanding has solidified
Foxs position with the club, and
longtime observers say there is a
different vibe surrounding the team
compared to past seasons.
Expectations have been high for
the Panthers every year since they
reached the Super Bowl in the 2003
season. In prior years, sources felt a
sense of pressure when they were
around the team. Players werent
responding well to the high stan-
dards, and things went wrong. In-
juries certainly played a big role,
particularly with QB Jake Del-
homme last season, but the mood
of the team just wasnt positive.
This years squad seems relaxed,
sources say. The friction that had
plagued the team previously reared
its head when Steve Smith
punched Ken Lucas in a brawl
early in training camp, but other
than that, tension has been low and
the overall attitude is better. The air
was cleared after that fight, and
players point to it as a significant
moment that may have helped the
team grow closer together.
However, insiders say the depar-
ture of disgruntled DT Kris Jenk-
ins, who was traded to the Jets in
the offseason, should be consid-
ered an important move that im-
proved the atmosphere, as well. On
the field, Jenkins played well. Hes
been even better as the Jets nose
tackle this season. But it was very
clear that he did not like being in
Carolina, and he expressed his feel-
ings publicly. Losing such a tal-
ented player hurt, but in this case,
it may have been a case of addition
by subtraction, according to close
observers of the team.
Delhommes health, the return
of WR Muhsin Muhammad and a
more aggressive defensive game
plan that allows for more blitzing
all have been key factors in the
Panthers turnaround. The way we
hear it, credit should go to Fox, GM
Marty Hurney and perhaps most
of all, owner Jerry Richardson.
Richardson had the opportunity to
make a coaching change in the off-
season, after the Panthers missed
the playoffs in back-to-back sea-
sons for the first time since Fox
took over in 2002, but the owner
stuck with Fox, despite some pres-
sure to fire him.
QB Jake Delhommes return has helped the Panthers, as has an overall improvement in the teams mindset.
K
W
R
ATLANTA
FALCONS
NEW ORLEANS
SAINTS
TAMPA BAY
BUCCANEERS
CAROLINA
PANTHERS
10 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
NFC WESTBy Dan Arkush
WHISPERS
We hear Cardinals
FB Terrelle Smith,
who many daily team
observers had be-
lieved could have
been in danger of not
making the final ros-
ter in training camp,
has been an unsung
hero in the teams of-
fense. I havent seen
him miss a block,
one team insider told
PFW. He always puts
a solid hit on people.
He also has a great
relationship with
Edge (Edgerrin
James), and the two
of them have really
taken the rookie
(Tim) Hightower
under their wing.
In a perfect world,
word is the Rams
would love it if rookie
Donnie Avery can
establish himself as
the No. 2 receiver the
next couple of weeks
and keep Drew Ben-
nett, who has been
mostly a disappoint-
ment in a Rams uni-
form, from regaining
the job once he re-
covers from a foot in-
jury he suffered in
Week One.
Word is the Sea-
hawks have pretty
much given up on re-
cently acquired WR
Billy McMullen in a
starting role after the
problems he experi-
enced holding on to
passes and being
taken out physically
in the Week Five loss
to the Giants. We also
hear that the team
has decided that nei-
ther Courtney Tay-
lor, who has
plummeted to the
practice squad, nor
Joey Kent, who was
promoted off the
practice squad
mainly to add speed
on special teams, is
close to becoming a
capable receiver at
the pro level yet.
Our Niners sources
tell us offensive coor-
dinator Mike Martz
would like to get both
RB Michael Robin-
son and TE Delanie
Walker more in-
volved in the offense.
Injuries to the Rams receiving
corps continue to take their toll. Al-
ready operating without No. 2 WR
Drew Bennett, who has been
sidelined with a foot injury suffered
in Week One that we hear will keep
him out another 2-3 weeks, the
team also now must get by without
starting TE Randy McMichael,
who has been placed on injured re-
serve with a broken tibia and torn
ligaments in his right leg suffered
in the Week Four loss to the Bills.
McMichael, whose involvement in
the offense had increased under
new coordinator Al Saunders,
has been replaced primarily by
third-year pro Joe Klopfenstein,
who up to now has made little im-
pact. In addition, we hear blocking
specialist Anthony Becht, who
caught his share of passes earlier
in his career with the Jets, could
have an expanded role. Bechts
faster than McMichael, one team
source said. He just might be-
come more of a factor.
It stood to reason that opposing
teams would make a concerted
effort this season to find specific
ways to combat the effectiveness
of second-year Niners ILB
Patrick Willis after an outstand-
ing rookie campaign in which he
registered a league-high 174 tack-
les. Willis registered double-digit
tackles in 10 of his 16 games in
2007, including three of the first
five. This season, Willis didnt hit
double digits until his 18-tackle ef-
fort in the Week Five loss to the
Patriots, but after closely studying
film of the game, one longtime
team insider pointed out that
Willis was blocked consistently in
the first half before becoming an
absolute beast in the second
half. He has been getting blocked
out of a lot more plays so far this
season, the insider said of Willis.
Teams have been sticking a big
lineman in front of him all the
time, and he actually has been
blown out of some plays.
Dont look for any major person-
nel changes in a struggling Sea-
hawks defense that reached its low
point in a Week Five drubbing by
the Giants in which it surrendered a
mind-boggling 523 yards and three
TD passes. The Seahawks cut down
on the yardage allowed in Week Six,
surrendering 313 yards, but the re-
sult was the same another loss.
One expected change moving for-
ward to revitalize an inconsistent
pass rush is a more even share of
reps at right end between third-
year veteran Darryl Tapp and first-
round rookie Lawrence Jackson.
In addition, another Seattle first-
rounder, 2006 No. 1 pick CB Kelly
Jennings, was replaced in the
starting lineup by 07 second-round
pick Josh Wilson. Not only did the
undersized Jennings suffer a con-
cussion against the Giants, he also
has had to deal with a cracked rib.
Jennings has just looked totally
lost much of the time, one team in-
sider told PFW.
There was an understandable
stir on the national rumor front fol-
lowing an Internet report that Car-
dinals QB Kurt Warner sent a text
message to his wife, Brenda, that
he was ready to call it quits not long
after teammate Anquan Boldins
violent helmet-to-helmet collision
at the tail end of the teams ugly
56-35 Week Four loss to the Jets.
According to longtime team in-
siders, however, Brenda Warner
has been pushing her husband to
seriously consider retirement for
the past 3-4 years.
When the local media asked
Warner about the online report the
day after his terrific bounce-back
performance in the Cardinals con-
vincing 41-17 victory over Buffalo
despite the absence of Boldin
the 37-year-old QBs mixed feel-
ings on the subject proved to be
more than a little noteworthy.
On the one hand, although we
hear the Boldin incident really did
shake Warner up enough to con-
sider leaving the game while his
body was still in one piece, we also
hear that he also has been privately
champing at the bit for his
Chicago-based agent, Mark Bar-
telstein, to resume discussions
with GM Rod Graves for a new
two-year contract that broke down
late this past offseason.
Graves has indicated to team in-
siders that the Cardinals plan on
holding off on contract discussions
with any of their players until after
the mid-October trading deadline.
Should the team and Bartelstein
resume negotiations, we hear its
likely they could become a bit
sticky.
The big question remains how
you pay him, as a starter or a
backup, one insider told PFW. It
would seem playing-time incen-
tives would be a key part of any
deal.
While it appears Warners grip on
the starting job over former first-
round draft pick Matt Leinart has
never been more secure with
Warner being given more freedom
to change plays at the line of scrim-
mage when he sees fit theres al-
ways the possibility Warner could
come up with a real clinker, like his
six-turnover debacle against the
Jets, on any given week.
Hes still good for a game like
the one against the Jets at least
once a month, the insider said.
Thats been his m.o. forever.
Despite retirement talk, we hear Cardinals QB Kurt Warner is pushing for a contract extension.
N
O
R
M
H
A
L
L
ST. LOUIS
RAMS
SAN FRANCISCO
49ERS
SEATTLE
SEAHAWKS
ARIZONA
CARDINALS
11 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
COVER STORY
SAME
GUY,
NEW
RESULTS
ASHBURN, Va. The costumes vanished long ago. The
act remains. So Clinton Portis interrupts a Jason Taylor mass-
interview session to poke fun at Taylors former team, the
Miami Dolphins, and their lack of popularity compared to
Portis alma mater, the University of Miami.
Portis slides behind Jason Campbell during another me-
dia session, sticking up the embattled quarterback in
comedic fashion a few days following a rough opener.
And when hes named the NFC Offensive Player of the
Week, the Redskins running back riffs on greedy offensive
linemen.
They feel like Im supposed to take them out to eat or
do something, he said. But thats what theyre supposed
to do. I was going to tell them, Thanks. I dont want them
to get used to doing something good and patting them on
the shoulders, handing them envelopes with money, giving
them plasma TVs. Thats what theyre looking for.
Portis, who turned 27 in September, has retained that play-
ful side even though he shelved his characters after the 2005
season. But the one area where his act has remained the same
is here: on the field. Thats where Portis hasnt changed at
all.
Which is good news for the Redskins. Hes still the en-
gine behind any offense in Washington, even with a rap-
idly developing quarterback in Campbell and a dynamic
and finally healthy receiver in Santana Moss.
But when the offense is in a rut, the Redskins turn to Por-
tis. When the clock needs to be consumed, they call his num-
ber some more.
Through six games, Portis is off to the best start of his ca-
reer. He has rushed for 643 yards on 136 carries this season,
gaining 4.7 yards per run his best figure since 2003, his
second season in Denver. In his previous four seasons with
Washington, Portis never averaged more than 4.3 yards and
twice finished seasons with less than a 4.0-yard average.
This follows an offseason in which he stayed in Washing-
ton for the first time to work out. (The Redskins provided
financial incentives to aid that decision.)
But its not that he believes he has improved.
Its just more of the same to me, he said.
However, it is a matter of having different opportunities.
Under Joe Gibbs, the Redskins ran more of a power offense
featuring grind-it-out runs by Portis. They used zone
blocking and stretch runs, but Portis was always the main
target of defenses. So theyd stack the line more to stop him.
New head coach Jim Zorn kept the same running plays
to ease the transition when he took over, but his play-call-
ing has kept defenses more honest.
Thats reflected in the number of long runs by Portis. In
his final 452 carries in Gibbs and Al Saunders offense, Por-
tis had only six runs of 20 yards or longer. He already has
five such runs this season. In his two seasons with Denver,
he gained 5.5 yards per run both seasons.
I always could do it; I just wasnt in position to do it,
Portis said. When youre the focal point and they stick 10
in the box, theres not much I can do.
Coach Gibbs is probably the greatest thing to happen to
me because it taught me to be humble and the apprecia-
tion of every yard. Now with Coach Z, all of a sudden, its,
Clinton can still do it. I always could do it.
Indeed, he could. In 2005, the year of the weekly char-
acters and costumes, he ended the season with five straight
100-yard rushing days en route to 1,516 yards, his best sea-
son in Washington and the second-best total of his career.
The impressive part about his start in 08 is the defens-
es he ran over in a two-week stretch: Dallas and Philadel-
phia. The Cowboys have allowed two 100-yard rushing games
since the start of 2007. Portis owns both, including a 121-
yard day in Week Four. He followed that with 145 yards
against an Eagles defense that had entered the game allow-
ing an average of 53.8 yards on the ground.
Although the Redskins dropped a 19-17 decision to the
Rams in Week Six, thanks to a last-second field goal, Por-
tis did everything he could to help his team. He ran 21 times
for 129 yards and two touchdowns. On the Redskins final
scoring drive, Portis ran four times for 43 yards, capping
the drive with a two-yard TD run.
Portis is used to getting the ball late in games. In the sec-
ond halves of the Cowboys and Eagles games, he rushed for
a combined 187 yards.
When his number is called, hes running hard, really hard,
12 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
The Redskins have
changed coaches and
offensive schemes,
but Clinton Portis remains
their rock-steady hammer
in the backfield BYJOHN KEIM
SAME
GUY,
NEW
RESULTS
Redskins C Casey Rabach said. It wears on a defense. He
always seems to be falling forward for the extra yard or so,
which helps us out a lot. I cant say enough about him.
Thats a phrase that Zorn echoed.
Hes even more resourceful than I would hope for in a
running back, Zorn said. He keeps driving. And if (the line-
men) keep driving, theres two or three more yards that hes
going to get. Its so good to see a back strain for every-
thing he can get.
Zorn has learned what Gibbs and others in Washington
knew long ago: Portis loves contact and isnt shy about shar-
ing his opinion. Portis routinely told Gibbs to draft certain
guys from Miami (including Sean Taylor) among other ideas.
And now he ll drop his thoughts on what play to run dur-
ing a game.
Against the Eagles, the Redskins went for it on 4th-and-
1 from the Eagles 38 with 2:48 remaining in the game. Dur-
ing a timeout, Portis suggested a play: a draw to himself.
They ran it. He got three yards. The Redskins ran out the
clock and won the game.
That was all Clinton Portis, Zorn said. He willed his way
for the first down.
Then theres his pass blocking. Again, it hasnt changed.
But Zorn now gets to see it up close. He saw that immedi-
ately when Portis decleated Giants DE Mathias Kiwanu-
ka on a chip block in the opener. The day after the season-
opening loss to the Giants, Zorn said Portis played violent.
Some blowups he makes out there are amazing, OLT
Chris Samuels said. Hes just known as a tough guy. It def-
initely juices us up and also takes something out of a de-
fense. Ever since the (Giants game) those guys are look-
ing for the chip block, and it slows down the pass rush.
Said Portis, I have more fun blocking than doing any-
thing. When I broke 60-yarders, I used to come to the side-
line and be gasping for air. It was a run. It wasnt nothing
exciting. When I knock somebody off their feet, thats whats
exciting to me. Everybody looks at the running yards and
the receiving, but you dont pay attention to the grind of
the game, the blocking, the hustling, the helping guys out.
He offered yet another example of that in Week Six when
he set up his own touchdown by making the key block in
blitz pickup on a 29-yard catch by Antwaan Randle El down
to the two-yard line.
But he gets paid well to carry the ball. What excites him
are the opportunities he might have, should the passing game
continue to develop. The Eagles, for example, doubled Moss
and held him without a catch. But they paid a price
against the run.
Dont jump on my bandwagon, he said. I think Ive al-
ways been the same running back. Im back to having the
opportunity to showcase my talent.
John Keim covers the Redskins for the Washington Ex-
aminer.
CAMPBELL, ZORN FORGE A
WORKING RELATIONSHIP
The Redskins season opener produced one touch-
down and numerous skeptics, most of whom directed
their questions at two people: Jim Zorn and Jason Camp-
bell. The former wasnt prepared for the NFL; the latter
wasnt a good fit for the West Coast offense.
Aweek later the stance softened. Amonth later it has
changed altogether.
Now theyre the most popular tandem in Washington,
easily outpacing the duos put forth by either political
party.
Its not hard to figure out why: The Redskins won four of
their first five games; Campbell tossed six touchdowns
with no interceptions, has no lost fumbles and has posted
three games with passer ratings greater than 100 one
more than his total in his first 20 starts. He has been ex-
cellent on third downs and in the fourth quarter.
This in his first season of the West Coast system and
his third different offense in four seasons.
He knows what to expect from me, Zorn said. He has
higher expectations or more confidence in what hes
doing now, and its taken him some of these games to
say, OK, (Zorn) wont rip me when I get off the field. Its a
learning curve and its not over.
It never will be with Zorn, a former quarterback who
also coaches that position on the Redskins. He has
helped Campbell mature into a more patient passer, one
who has improved at not locking onto one receiver.
Campbell doesnt panic in the pocket and has made big
plays by following a Zorn mantra: avoid, reset and throw.
One way that Zorn helped reinforce that is through one
of his many drills. He and the other quarterbacks will toss
blocking bags at the quarterback, who must dodge them
while keeping his eyes downfield.
Zorn also fixed other mechanical issues.
When I came in, every time he dropped back, he was
shaking the ball, and I was like, What are you doing?
Youre not mixing a drink here; youre not shaking a malt.
Just quit it, Zorn said. Theres an efficiency of playing at
the pro level at all positions, certainly at quarterback. If he
has to shake the ball before he lets it go, it may transfer to
the ball traveling too late.
The two have different personalities but have meshed.
Hes more up-tempo, wild child, Campbell said. I like
to chill and go on to the next play. Theres contrast in
there. But we both see things similar. Were both com-
petitors.
But a trust has developed. In Week Two against the
Saints, Zorn opted for a Campbell pass on 4th-and-2 (he
completed it).
Its not a friendship, its a great working relationship of
trust, Zorn said. He has to respond to that. Thats where
the difference is. I put it on him; he has responded well to
my coaching and my prodding. Thats made a real differ-
ence for him.
John Keim
13 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
Jim Zorns offense and coaching style have been
great fits for talented QB Jason Campbell.
Clinton Portis is off to the best start of his career after six games, gaining 107.2 rushing yards per game.
J
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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. In the waning days of Jan-
uary, moments before the Giants boarded the charter flight
that would take them to Phoenix for Super Bowl XLII, Plaxi-
co Burress was asked to make a prediction. Who would win
the game, the upstart Giants or the unbeaten and heavily
favored Patriots?
Burress never hesitated. Giants, he said. Asked for a score,
Burress obliged, saying 21-17.
All week, Burress never backed off that claim, even though
his head coach, Tom Coughlin, wasnt at all pleased that his
best receiver ignored the Talk Is Cheap, Play the Game
mantra that became the Giants signature slogan. Lo and
behold, the Giants stunned the world with a 17-14 triumph,
with Burress hauling in the game-winning touchdown pass
with a mere 35 seconds remaining.
Looking back at his bold prediction and his nature in gen-
eral, Burress, during a reflective moment a few months lat-
er, said: Its hard for me to hold it back. I try. Its like I got
the good and evil on each shoulder and Im back and forth.
No one but Burress knows how much of a wrestling match
goes on in his mind, how much of a battle he wages pitting
the right thing to do against the wrong or misguided thing
to do. He has vaulted into the upper echelon of all receivers
in the NFL, gaining tremendous professional and person-
al accolades for his contribution to the Giants shocking
championship run. He played in pain the entire 2007 sea-
son, almost never practicing, always grimacing as he endured
ankle problems and an assortment of other maladies that
left him hobbled after games and throughout most of every
week. Come Sunday, he suited up and usually played at a
high level.
Prior to this season, Burress finally got what he long had
craved: recognition as one of the top receivers in the game.
He never has made it to a Pro Bowl, but the Giants real-
ized even though Burress had three years left on his con-
tract, he should be rewarded for his fine play. They tore up
his deal and signed him to a five-year, $35 million contract,
a deal announced hours before Burress went out and hauled
in 10 passes for 133 yards in a 16-7 season-opening victo-
ry over the Redskins.
Plax has been an outstanding player for us, GM Jerry
Reese said at the time. We basically kind of approached
each other about this contract. We felt like something should
be done with the contract. We put our heads together and
made it make sense for him and made it make sense for the
New York Giants, as well.
Three weeks later, Reese was saying something quite dif-
ferent about Burress. Reese, along with Coughlin, decid-
FEATURE STORY
14 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
Plaxico Burress doesnt always fall in with Tom Coughlins team-first company line,
but hes too good to keep off the field. So what are the Giants to do? By PAUL SCHWARTZ
VISUAL IMAGES INC. (COUGHLIN) | JEFF FISHBEIN (BURRESS)
PER-PLAX-ING
PER-PLAX-ING
ed that the star receiver had to be suspended for two weeks
and one game, Oct. 5 against the Seahawks, for violating
team rules. This was no easy decision but one the front of-
fice deemed necessary after Burress did not show up for work
at Giants Stadium on Monday, Sept. 22, the day after the
Giants beat the Bengals 26-23 in overtime. Not only was
Burress a no-show, but he also failed to call in to alert the
team to his absence and did not return several calls by the
team trying to contact him to determine his whereabouts.
There was no contact with the team until later that night.
We are all saddened by it, Coughlin said after announc-
ing the suspension. But we want to make sure that the mes-
sage is loud and clear. We have had success here because
of the team concept.
Burress was to be fined two weeks of inactivity, but an
agreement was reached with the team and the fine was re-
duced to one game check, or $117,647. Burress was banned
from all team activities, and the Giants went about their busi-
ness during the week and then blasted the Seahawks 44-
6, with Burress watching from home and his replacement,
Domenik Hixon, making his first NFL start one to remem-
ber with four catches for 102 yards, including a 32-yard
touchdown pass from Eli Manning, before leaving in the
second quarter with a concussion.
The resounding victory was significant for Coughlin, who
preaches team above self and has achieved remarkable re-
sults as the Giants shocked the world with their Super Bowl
triumph and have rolled to a 4-0 start to this season. Bur-
ress is the best receiver, but he is not above anyone else when
it comes to following the rules. That was the message im-
parted by Coughlin, who simply said: We try to do this the
right way.
Is the right way the Plaxico way? Even he cannot say. Blessed
with great size and immense talent, Burress left the Steelers
feeling as if they wanted more during his time in Pittsburgh,
and his stay in New York has not been without some rough mo-
ments. He was benched for the first quarter of his third game
with the Giants back in 2005 for twice arriving late for prac-
tice. It has been a recurring theme for Burress, who commits
errors of omission, not commission. It is not as if he messes
up as much as he often fails to show up.
Reports surfaced during the suspension that Burress had been
fined 40-50 times by the Giants. He did not argue the point.
I really dont know the amount of times, but I do know
that I have been fined quite a bit, and some things and some
of the demands that they ask me to do, I just dont meet,
Burress admitted. Do I have an excuse for them? No. Maybe
I have a problem with time or something, I dont know. I
havent been able to quite put my finger on it.
Teammates revert to a Thats Plaxico line whenever the
receiver strays off the reservation. When he did not show
up for work on that fateful day, interestingly enough, some
of the other receivers did not even realize he wasnt there.
I mean Plax is Plax; he does what he wants, usually, sec-
ond-year WR Steve Smith said. We dont see him a lot of
the time. I thought it was a normal day. I didnt know he
was getting in trouble for that. We never really know, when
it comes to Plax.
What was certain is that no player came out against the
suspension. I cant speak for Plaxico, but as a team its in-
dicative of our coaches trying to make a statement as far
as every guy on this football team is equal, and I think
(Coughlin) got his point across, DE Justin Tuck said. I hope
he got his point across. If anything, we say to Plaxico, Dont
put yourself in that position.
So why did Burress put himself in that position? His agent,
Drew Rosenhaus, said Burress did not show up for work
because he had a responsibility relating to his family he
felt it was an emergency.
Following his suspension, Burress did show up at Giants
Stadium on Oct. 6 and explained why he was a no-show.
I ran into some family issues as far as taking my son to
school and things like that, he said. I didnt feel any rea-
son to explain to them what happened or why I missed be-
cause I dont feel it is really anybodys business. If I had a
decision to make as far as my family and my son and things
like that, I wouldnt change anything about it and I would
still make the same decision to do that. Maybe I would have
put a phone call in, but that probably would have been the
only thing.
Coughlin simply cannot understand that logic. He believes
he has gotten through to Burress and that their relation-
ship has grown over the years, but this recent backslide was
troubling. Just imagine what Coughlin thought when he
hears this out of his star receiver:
Just like Coach said, I was suspended because I need to be
more responsible. I was being responsible, just not toward them.
With Burress, there is more than what is evident on the
surface. In 2006, he was fined because he blew off a days
work to be with his wife, who was having an ultrasound. He
was fined $42,000 this past June for refusing to participate
in the mandatory minicamp, saying he would not practice
as a business decision because he was frustrated at the time
by stalled contract negotiations.
Burress has shown himself at times to be a pain off the
field, but he has given the Giants excellence on it. He ad-
mitted that not being able to play against the Seahawks was
hurtful. When I cant go out there with (the team), I am
definitely letting them down, he said. I went out there and
limped around and played hurt and didnt want to miss a
game, so why would I not want to be out there? So, of course,
I let them down.
He did not promise not to let them down again and stat-
ed he isnt worried about how hes perceived.
I am really not concerned about being a team leader and
I am really not concerned about the way my teammates look
at me as far as me making the decisions based on my fam-
ily, Burress said. I am making decisions based on my life
and what is going on in my life as far as my family; I am
always going to do that first.
I think that is what people need to understand. Football
is the best temporary job I am ever going to have in my life,
and my family is going to be here forever. I havent lost any
sleep over the situation; I feel I have made the right deci-
sion. I am still living, I am still walking around, so I am fine.
Paul Schwartz covers the Giants for the New York Post.
15 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
D
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Plaxico Burress capped his heroic 2007 season with the game-winning touchdown catch in Super Bowl XLII and backed
up his bold claim from the week before.
OPINION
PUBLISHERS PEN Hub Arkush, publisher/editor
WHAT WE THINK WHAT YOU THINK
LETTERS POLICY
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(847) 940-1108or byU.S. mail toLetterstotheEditor,
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I
n the previous issue of Pro Football
Weekly we editorialized that the NFL
did the right thing in moving swiftly to
suspend New York Jets safety Eric Smith
for one game and fine him $50,000 for
the vicious shot to the head he delivered
to Arizonas Anquan Boldin. While we
dont believe there was any premeditation
or violent intent on the part of Smith, the
hit was clearly avoidable and the safety of
all players has to be the leagues first con-
cern. No argument here.
But now I believe it is time for commis-
sioner Roger Goodell, or whomever he
has appointed to be the fine police, to
step back, chill, take a pill or do whatever
he has to, to knock off the arbitrary na-
ture in which he appears to be looking to
fine players for any number of indiscre-
tions. Many of the fines are threatening
to take all the fun out of the game, and
others are being levied for actions that
are quite simply a part of the game.
According to the leagues rules, The
Commissioner may impose fines and
other appropriate discipline, up to and
including suspension or banishment
from the League, for certain misconduct
on the playing field, as well as for con-
duct detrimental to the integrity of or
public confidence in the NFL or the
game of professional football. In accor-
dance with the 2006-2012 Collective
Bargaining Agreement, discipline involv-
ing unnecessary roughness or unsports-
manlike conduct on the playing field
with respect to opposing players will be
determined initially by a person appoint-
ed by the Commissioner after consulting
with the Executive Director of the NFL
Players Association.
To cut to the CliffsNotes here, un-
sportsmanlike conduct includes basically
anything the Commissioner or his de-
signee wants it to. For example, and these
fines were all following the games of Oct.
5-6: (1) DeSean Jackson and Quintin
Demps were each fined $10,000 for pos-
ing in the endzone after a Jackson touch-
down. (2) The Dolphins Ronnie Brown,
Vernon Carey and Ikechuku Ndukwe
were fined $10,000 apiece for doing a
dance called the Cupid Shuffle follow-
ing a Brown TD. (3) Antoine Winfield of
the Vikings was fined $10,000 for a TD
celebration in which he slid down the
goalpost as if it were a fire pole, and his
teammate, Chad Greenway, was fined
$7,500 for pulling on the face mask of the
Saints Reggie Bush, even though no
penalty flag was thrown during the game.
Why take the fun out of the game?
Who was hurt by these celebrations?
These guys are paid to entertain us, and
thats all theyre trying to do with their ex-
uberance in the endzone. I know the rules
say they cant do it, but wake up and real-
ize its a bad rule, dont further embarrass
the league by fining these guys. As for
Greenway, he clearly didnt intentionally
pull Bushs mask, so what can the fine ac-
complish?
Finally, there is the fine that caused me
to offer you these thoughts. The Arizona
Cardinals Adrian Wilson was fined
$25,000 for a hit he made on Buffalo QB
Trent Edwards that knocked Edwards out
of the game. According to a league
spokesman, the hit violated the rule stat-
ing that a defensive player must not un-
necessarily or violently throw him down
and land on top of him with all or most of
the defenders weight. The rule compels
defensive players to strive to wrap up or
cradle the passer with the defensive play-
ers arms.
I have two significant problems with
this. The first is that again on this play,
there was no penalty called by the offi-
cials. Does the fine mean the commis-
sioners office believes the game was im-
properly officiated and the Bills were
cheated? I dont think thats the case, but
since the commissioners office seems to
believe that, are the officials being fined
or suspended?
Secondly and more importantly, this is
another terrible rule. In the history of
football, no coach has ever taught a de-
fensive player to strive to wrap up or cra-
dle another player; its just not football.
Of course, the league needs to protect
its players all of them, not just quarter-
backs as best it can. But punishing
players for doing exactly what theyre
paid to do and taught to do from the day
they begin to play the game is certainly
not the answer.
J
ust when we thought wed seen it all,
were amazed by reports about the
lengths to which professional sports
teams are going to finance new stadiums.
We couldnt help but shake our heads,
for example, when we saw that the choic-
est seats at the New York Yankees new
stadium will go for $2,500 per game, and
luxury suites will cost as much as
$600,000 a year. Then we read that the
Dallas Cowboys are charging as much as
$150,000 for a personal seat license,
which simply entitles the purchaser to
buy tickets.
It boggles the mind. But we suppose if
there are people or companies out there
willing to pay that kind of money, we
cant blame teams for taking it from
them. After all, its better than wringing
more cash out of taxpayers.
But we wonder whether things have
gotten out of hand when teams start sell-
ing the field itself.
The new stadium the Jets and Giants
are building in New Jersey will include
about 2,100 Coaches Club seats behind
the home bench at the 50-yard line. Club
members will be able to stand in a railed-
off area on the field, five yards off the
bench, or step inside a private bar and
lounge. The 82,500-seat stadium is
scheduled to open in 2010.
There is simply no better seat in
sports, and no better game-day experi-
ence in the NFL, said Matt Higgins, the
Jets executive vice president of business
operations.
The Giants are charging $20,000 for a
PSL for the seats. But in a first-of-its-
kind move, the Jets have decided to let
the market set the price, announcing last
week that PSLs would be auctioned on
StubHub. The opening bid is $5,000, but
obviously the Jets expect the bidding to
go much higher. The lucky winners of the
PSL auction will then get the privilege of
shelling out another $700 per ticket.
Whats next? A spot on the bench for
$1,500? A chance to whisper in the
coachs ear for another grand? A cool
$5,000 for a chance to call a few plays?
Were being facetious, of course. (We
hope.) But we think sports teams need to
make sure theyre not going too far in
their quest to cash in on fans zeal. If sell-
ing spots on the field isnt crossing the
line, its getting awfully darn close.
Excessive fines spoil No Fun League
Getting close to crossing the line
T.O., D hurting Cowboys
The Cowboys have two problems
one on each side of the ball. Offensively,
its very clear that the problem is T.O.
Sure, hes a great player, but a selfish one.
He prefers to have a great individual sea-
son and no Super Bowl ring than an aver-
age season and a Super Bowl ring. Hes
just like Ocho Cinco. They do not get it,
and they dont care. They just want the
spotlight for them and nothing more. In a
perfect world, that will be OK if the Cow-
boys keep getting better and make it all
the way. But they are struggling right now
and its because of T.O.
Since Green Bay took him out of the
game (in Week Three), he started com-
plaining that he wasnt getting the ball
enough. That started to put pressure on
the coaches and Tony Romo to make him
happy even if it meant forcing the ball
to T.O. too much. This especially appears
to be the case with Romo, who some-
times looks like hes under pressure to
make T.O. happy instead of just playing
the game and enjoying it like he did last
season.
Somebody has to make T.O. under-
stand that, even if the other team shuts
him down, other players can step up and
make plays. This is how football is a
team sport. And with more teams focus-
ing on T.O. this season, he must grow up
once and for all into a leader, not just
complaining when everything is not going
well. He must understand that there
arent too many seasons left for him, and
his best chance to get a ring is now if
he cares about that.
Defensively, its very simple defen-
sive coordinator Brian Stewart is not get-
ting the job done. He has a ton of talent at
his disposal and is not getting results.
Sure, players should share in the blame
but you know good coaches can do won-
ders even if the talent available is not that
great. Just take a look at the Redskins.
The defense must play a lot better if
the Cowboys want to win it all. Period.
Carlos Gamba,
San Luis De La Paz, Mexico
Dont expect big trades
This year, dont expect a big trade at
the trade deadline. The NFL trade dead-
line is always blown out of proportion
and wide receivers like Jerry Porter,
Chad Johnson, Roy Williams and many
others never get traded. If youre looking
for a trade, look for a team thats out of
contention trading a backup or lesser
starter to a team that is close to con-
tention.
Bryan Brackney, Boone, N.C.
16 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
OPINION
OLD AND IN THE WAY Ron Borges
H
as Al Davis lost his mind? No. Has he
lost his way? What do you think?
Back in the days when the Raiders
were the most feared franchise in pro foot-
ball, Davis was the most feared man in pro
football. Not only did his opponents fret
over what he was doing, so did his business
partners.
The NFL was brought to its knees by
Davis not once but twice. The first time
was in 1966 when he briefly became com-
missioner of the AFL and had a plan to
steal the QBs of the Rams and 49ers (Ro-
man Gabriel and John Brodie), plus then-
Bears TE Mike Ditka and other players.
Seeing the specter of skyrocketing costs
and debilitated teams, the gray heads run-
ning the NFL quickly realized it was better
to merge with Davis than to fight him.
Two decades later, Davis did it again to
commissioner Pete Rozelle and the NFL
when he dragged them into court to fight
their efforts to block him from moving his
team to Los Angeles. He won, making
fools of the NFL in the process, going to
L.A. and winning the third of his three Su-
per Bowl titles. By then Davis was por-
trayed as the Darth Vader of football.
And then it unraveled. Not all at once,
but the idea of abandoning L.A. after the
Rams left was about as bad a decision as
he could have made. The Oakland that Al
Davis returned to was not the one he left.
It was the Oakland of Gertrude Stein, who
once said of it, There is no there there.
There remained residual love of the
Raiders, but no longer was there blind loy-
alty. There was a brief return to glory when
Jon Gruden took over, but the cruel irony
was he left in 2001 after a power struggle
with Davis and, a year later, destroyed the
team hed built, 48-21, in a brutal Super
Bowl loss that began a rapid plummeting.
Since that season the Raiders are 20-65,
a record that would be the worst in football
were it not for ex-Raider Matt Millen, a
friend of Davis. Millen built a team in De-
troit even less successful than the Raiders
of 2003-08, a team that has broken the
spirit of four head coaches.
To hear Davis say it, none of them could
coach because he had given them enough
talent to win. Thats the rant of King Lear,
a blind man no longer grasping reality.
When recently departed Lane Kiffin told
Davis his team wasnt good enough, the
owner thought he was both acting insubor-
dinately and admitting defeat. It really was
simply admitting the obvious.
They werent good enough to win when
Norv Turner was coach. They werent good
enough with Art Shell, a former Coach of
the Year. Some say the Raiders wont be
good enough until Davis, 79, puts aside his
ego and brings in someone to help him run
the place like a modern-day team.
Its not a tough place to work, former
Raiders QB Rich Gannon said. Its an im-
possible place to work. Its an organization
that is, in my opinion, dysfunctional.
Years ago, when the Raiders were the
most consistently successful sports fran-
chise, Davis used to say: The fish rots
from the top. His point was his team was
successful because he was successful. If he
believed it then, he should believe it now.
Davis can blame whomever he wants
for all the failure that has swept away his
teams reputation and his own, but, in the
end, he knows the truth. The fish still rots
from the head.
Ron Borges is a columnist for the
Boston Herald.
Davis only hurting Raiders these days
GUT-CHECK TIME Jerry Magee
A
hunger was in the land. It was 1930,
nobodys wonderful year, when guys
on street corners were inquiring of
passersby, Brother, can you spare a
dime? and having a chicken in every pot
was the nations ambition.
America was gripped in a Great De-
pression. The NFL acted. With New
Yorkers by the thousands having been
thrown out of work, the Giants agreed to
oppose an all-star team of Notre Dame
graduates in an exhibition game that
would be offered as a benefit for the New
York Unemployment Fund.
In 1930, the NFL did not possess its cur-
rent celebrity. It had been only 11 years
since what would become the NFL was
founded. The league needed to do some-
thing that would establish it in the public
consciousness as an enterprise of substance.
For the NFL, then, this hardest of times
became an opportunity, as Benny Fried-
man and the Giants recognized.
Knute Rockne coached Notre Dame,
which included the Four Horsemen.
Rockne never had thought much of the
pros, according to The Sports Encyclo-
pedia: Pro Football.
These Giants are big but slow, Rockne is
understood to have said. Score two or three
touchdowns in a hurry and just hold them.
Rockne had misjudged. Before a crowd
of 55,000, Friedman led the Giants to
two quick touchdowns. The Notre Dame
players, meantime, could not manage as
much as a first down. At halftime,
Rockne asked that the Giants not make
his boys look bad in a charity game, and a
number of the Giants sat out the second
half of a game the pros won 22-0.
Engaging the Notre Dame players was
a public-relations stroke for the Giants
and the NFL that Madison Avenue would
admire. No longer would the public
shrug off the pros as clumsy goons, one
can read in The Sports Encyclopedia.
Additionally, the New York Unemploy-
ment Fund collected $115,163.
The Chicago Bears and Chicago Cardi-
nals, also in 1930, played an exhibition for
unemployment relief. Ironically, while the
NFL was doing what it could to shore up
the economy, it was unable to sustain some
of its members. Franchises representing
Boston, Buffalo and Dayton folded before
the seasons start, with Brooklyn and
Portsmouth, Ohio, coming into the league.
A retreat in time. Granted, but while
soup lines are not forming and men are
not leaping out of tall buildings, the
country again is up against it. As it was in
the 1930s, its the economy. Its hurting,
not just here but worldwide. I would
hope that just as it did in 1930, the NFL
will act. At the least, it should reduce
ticket prices, putting them within reach
of the workingman. It was workingmen,
remember, who founded this game, going
out on Sunday afternoons in the Ohio
mill towns and hammering one another,
mostly for the sheer joy of it.
I will leave it for the suits at 280 Park
Ave., where the NFL has its offices, to de-
termine what they can do to fit football
into this uncertain financial climate.
Something, I trust.
Perhaps some good will come of this.
Attending NFL games should not be lim-
ited to the wealthy. I think of this at the
Super Bowls, where I can look around
and hardly ever see a child. A person has
to have experienced a lifetime of accom-
plishments to afford one of those things.
Jerry Magee covered pro football for the
San Diego Union-Tribune from 1961-2008
and for PFW since its inception in 1967.
NFL needs to do its part to aid economy
A-BOMBS
Bucs gaining believers
Its time to start giving the Buccaneers
some respect. That certainly wasnt the
case among PFWs prognosticators in the
Handicappers Corner, all nine of whom
picked the Panthers to topple Tampa Bay
in Week Six, even though the Bucs were
favored by three points on the early Vegas
line. The rationale for favoring the Pan-
thers seemed sound, considering they
hadnt lost to the Bucs in Tampa since
2002. But while Carolina crumbled after
shredding the Chiefs one week earlier, the
Bucs were in total control under the di-
rection of Jeff Garcia, who regained the
starting QB job he had lost after strug-
gling in the season opener at New Or-
leans. Awell-deserved higher profile is in
store for Jon Grudens troops the next
few weeks with a prime-time affair this
Sunday night against the struggling Sea-
hawks, followed by a huge test in Dallas in
Week Eight.
Defense bails out Eagles
As much as PFWliked the Panthers, we
took even more of a fancy to the Eagles.
Not only did we unanimously pick Philly
to cover the minus-4
1
2 pointspread over
the Niners on the road. Six of us made the
Eagles a best bet.We might not have
been so high on them had we known that
they would be without star RB Brian
Westbrook and starting WRs Kevin
Curtis and Reggie Brown due to in-
juries. But the Eagles defense made us
look like we actually knew what we were
doing, registering three sacks and three
key late takeaways while limiting the Nin-
ers to one offensive TD. The Eagles also
got a huge lift from RB Correll Buckhal-
ter, who piled up 178 total yards (93
rushing, 85 receiving) in place of West-
brook. Had they lost for a third straight
time the Niners had a nine-point lead
entering the fourth quarter the Eagles
would have been in dire straits in the pow-
erful NFC East. But with both the Cow-
boys and Redskins getting upset, theyre
still in the thick of things with a well-timed
bye this week.
Lifeless in Seattle
The prospects of a resounding last
hurrah for Mike Holmgren in his final
season as the Seahawks head coach
have all but faded. With injuries taking a
mighty toll, Seattle suddenly is stuck in
the NFC West basement alongside the
resurgent Rams at 1-4. Even if QB Matt
Hasselbeck, who sat out Seattles 27-17
home loss to the Packers with a right
knee injury, is healthy enough to return to
action in Week Seven, it wont make much
of a difference if the teams defense con-
tinues to give up big plays at its current
rate. Because theyre in the NFC West,
you cant completely rule out the Hawks
yet. But if they lose this Sunday in Tampa,
consider them officially grounded.
Dan Arkush un-
leashes his Week
Six reflections.
17 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
By Michael Blunda
Associate editor
Entering the season, all the fantasy pun-
dits used one word to describe the 2008 tight
end crop: deep.
With around 20 guys that had starter po-
tential, the overriding theory was to wait on
tight ends in the draft; you could easily snag
one late and still expect solid numbers. But
one-third of the way through the 08 cam-
paign, the production of the leagues tight
ends has fallen well short of expectations.
Outside of the Cowboys Jason Witten,
who truly is living up to his billing as the No.
1 fantasy tight end, no one at the position is
even on pace for 1,000 yards. Last season,
three tight ends had more than 1,100 yards
receiving with a fourth the Chargers An-
tonio Gates finishing 16 yards shy of 1,000.
Speaking of Gates, although he might not
be putting up the gaudy yardage numbers
that he has in the past, at least hes finding
the endzone. Gates leads all tight ends
with four TD grabs. Amazingly, at a position
that is supposed to specialize in catching
passes in the red zone, not one other tight
end has more than two.
So what is causing the positions lack of
production? Its certainly not a shortage of
talent, as there are plenty of ultra-skilled tight
ends all over the NFL. One reason might be
a rash of injuries to some of the top guys,
which has resulted in a number of missed
games.
But it could be even more complicated
than that.
Its possible that the leagues offenses in
general, which are focusing more on spread-
ing out defenses and lining up three or four
wide receivers, could be shifting away from
making the tight end a target in the pass-
ing game. If this is the case, it could have a
major effect on the positions value in future
fantasy drafts.
But back to the present. Unless theres a
major surge at the position in the coming
weeks, it looks like those who spent picks on
Witten, Gates, the Redskins Chris Cooley
and the Texans Owen Daniels will be the
only owners getting significant output from
their tight ends. So much for depth.
Finally, given this across-the-board drop-
off, what Witten is doing this season is all
the more remarkable. Hes on track for 104
receptions and 1,325 yards, numbers that
would be great for a wideout, let alone a tight
end. Unfortunately, he doesnt have any com-
pany at the top.
WEEK SEVEN
Matchups to
exploit or avoid
QB Matt Schaub and the Texans really
came alive last week versus Miami, and
now they get a date with the awful Lions.
Detroit is getting torched through the air
weekly, allowing 250.6 passing yards per
game. Schaub should have little trouble
finding WRs Andre Johnson and Kevin
Walter in this one.
The Steelers get a key component of
their offense back this week in RB Willie
Parker, and it shouldnt take him long to
get back on the fast track. He goes
against a Bengals defense that is giving
up 156.8 rushing yards per contest and
has yielded eight scores on the ground.
Expect Fast Willie to return with a
vengeance.
After gaining just two yards on the
ground in his last outing, Chiefs RB Larry
Johnson could be in for another long day
against Tennessee. The Titans have been
one of the leagues best defenses, and
they likely will stack the box and force re-
turning QB Brodie Croyle to beat them
through the air.
49ers QB J.T. OSullivan has not been
particularly sharp in his last three games,
throwing seven interceptions, and a
cross-country trip to face the Giants isnt
going to help matters. The G-Men defend
the pass and sack the QB as well as any
NFC club, so OSullivan could be in for a
long afternoon.
MARKET REPORT
Stock rising
Vikings QB GUS FREROTTE
Averaging 247 passing yards as starter.
Colts RB DOMINIC RHODES
In line to start if Joe Addai is sidelined.
Broncos RB MICHAEL PITTMAN
Had 20-109 in starting role vs. Jaguars.
Colts WR MARVIN HARRISON
Back on same page with QB Manning.
Bears WR DEVIN HESTER
Becoming legit fantasy threat at receiver.
Stock falling
Bengals QB CARSON PALMER
Sore elbow has cost him two games.
Seahawks QB MATT HASSELBECK
Knee injury could keep him out.
Jaguars RB FRED TAYLOR
Last three games: 23 carries for 54 yards.
Raiders RB MICHAEL BUSH
Fargas return hurts his playing time.
Buccaneers WR ANTONIO BRYANT
Garcia doesnt target him like Griese did.
Where have all the TEs gone?
Although Cowboys TE Jason Witten continues to put up tremendous numbers, production
is down from many of the leagues other top tight ends.
The consistently huge production of Cow-
boys QB Tony Romo this season is reminis-
cent of Tom Brady circa 2007. Through six
games, Romo has thrown for at least 300
yards four times, has tossed three TDs in
four contests and has done both on three
occasions. The Saints Drew Brees is the
only other QB who can post ridiculous num-
bers like that on a weekly basis.
Most experts thought there was no way
Falcons WR Roddy White could repeat his
breakout 07 campaign, especially with a
rookie at QB. But Matt Ryan has grown up
quickly, and White is playing just as well, if
not better, than he did last season. He is av-
eraging 7.3 catches and 113.3 yards in the
past four games, grabbing three TDs in that
span. Few receivers are more reliable.
Fear not, Earnest Grahamowners: De-
spite what last weeks box score says, your
guy has not lost the featured job to Warrick
Dunn. The reason that Dunn had 22 carries
to Grahams five is because injuries left the
Bucs with no active fullbacks, forcing Gra-
ham to play the position. With Graham run-
ning well this season, he should be back to
his normal spot this week.
Who needs Brian Westbrook? Even with-
out their star running back last week, the Ea-
gles still managed a 14-point win over the
49ers, thanks largely to the play of RB Cor-
rell Buckhalter, who had 178 yards from
scrimmage and a TD. Hed be a legitimate
fantasy start if Westbrook misses more time.
After an ugly first two games, Texans QB
Matt Schaub was looking more like a bust
than the sleeper many had pegged him to
be. But hes really turned things around in his
last two outings, throwing for 686 yards and
four TDs. And after a short slump, WR Andre
Johnson is also emerging as a fantasy mon-
ster, catching 19 passes for 309 yards and
two scores in the past two contests. With a
few favorable matchups on the horizon, the
pair should keep churning out big numbers.
The big injury news on Sunday was out of
Indianapolis, where Colts RB Joseph Addai
left the game in the first quarter with a ham-
string problem and did not return. Backup
Dominic Rhodes proceeded to carry the
ball 25 times for 73 yards and a score, an ad-
mirable effort against the stout Ravens. With
Addais status unknown, Rhodes should be
scooped up in all leagues and could be quite
valuable if he takes over as the starter.
No one in Minnesota has benefited more
from QB Gus Frerottes promotion to the
starting lineup than WR Bernard Berrian.
In the duos four games together, Berrian is
racking up 99.5 yards per contest and has
hauled in two TDs. The wideout is producing
at the highest level of his career and has de-
veloped into a weekly fantasy start.
THE BUZZ
V
I
C
M
I
L
T
O
N
FANTASY FOOTBALL
18 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
FANTASY FOOTBALL
FANTASY DOCTOR Michael Blunda
I
n real football, trades involving big
names rarely happen, especially during the
course of the regular season. Fortunate-
ly for you, this does not hold true in Fanta-
syland, where star players get dealt about as
often as Laurence Maroney gets hurt.
Trading is one of the most fun aspects of
fantasy football. It allows us owners to feel
like actual GMs, wheeling and dealing in an
attempt to improve our club. At the same
time, though, its also one of the most un-
derutilized aspects of the game, as owners
often have trouble finding trade partners or
agreeing on the players to be exchanged. But
Im here to help fix that.
There are a couple of common mistakes
people make when trying to put together
trades. For one, they dont examine their fel-
low owners rosters before putting in a
trade proposal. If your running back stable
consists of Frank Gore and a bunch of
scrubs, what are the odds youre going to deal
him without getting some serious backfield
help in return? Probably slim. So when
someone offers you Terrell Owens for Gore,
no matter how fair it might be, its not a deal
youre going to accept.
To avoid this problem, all you have to do
is spend a few minutes looking at your op-
ponents players, seeing which positions
theyre deep at and where they are weak. If
youre in need of quarterback help, look for
a team that has two solid QBs but is extreme-
ly thin somewhere else, like at tight end. Of-
fer him your best tight end for one of his QBs,
and I bet youll have a deal worked out in no
time.
The other thing that gets in the way of
trades happening is the stubborn reluctance
of owners to part with their top talent. Im
sure most of you have received (or maybe of-
fered) trade proposals that look like this: You
give me Tony Romo, Ill give you David Gar-
rard and Jamal Lewis. What? So instead of
getting huge production at my QB spot, I can
get average numbers both at the quarterback
and running back position? This is exactly
the type of deal Id never want to make.
In order for trades to occur, you need to
be willing to give up quality players. If I were
angling to trade for someone like Romo, Id
know off the bat that either my No. 1 run-
ning back or receiver probably would have
to be included in the deal. Why would an
owner agree to it otherwise? Of course, no-
body likes to ship off their top guys, but thats
a key element in getting deals finalized.
What else can you do to help promote
trading in your league? Establishing an
available players list is a good idea if you
dont already have one. This lets everyone
know who youre willing to give up and what
positions youd want in return. Also, com-
municating with your fellow owners about
potential deals would go a long way in mak-
ing the process smoother. That way, instead
of just exchanging trade proposals, you
can hammer out all the details ahead of time.
Employing some of these strategies hope-
fully will increase the trading activity in your
league and ratchet up excitement in gener-
al.
Just make sure you dont accidentally click
Accept when someone offers you Bernard
Berrian for Michael Turner.
Q. Hey Doc, I am mentally ill right now and
need some analysis. Felix Jones is available
on the waiver wire in my league, and I have
Kevin Smith sitting on my bench. Would
you drop Smith for Jones? Thanks Doc.
Chris
A. Well, if you asked me this question a
couple weeks back, I probably wouldve said
no, but my answer has since changed.
While Smith looked like the clear-cut starter
in Detroit about a month ago, the teams
signing of Rudi Johnson has really muddled
their backfield picture, which now looks like
an even timeshare. That means you can ex-
pect mediocre stats, at best, from Smith on
a weekly basis. Jones, meanwhile, has a much
more defined role the complementary
back to Marion Barber but also has way
more upside. He has 30 attempts for 266
yards and three scores on the season. Thats
an insane 8.9 yards per carry. Jones might
not be the most consistent producer going
forward, but hes more likely to give you big
numbers than his fellow rookie Smith.
Improve your team by using the tricks of the trade
To have your questions answered by the Fantasy Doctor,
send your inquiries to Fantasydoctor@pfwmedia.com.
19 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
QUARTERBACKS
Pts./
Player Team Game
Brees N.O. 22.67
Rodgers G.B. 22.50
Schaub Hou. 21.25
Cutler Den. 21.17
Romo Dall. 21.00
Warner Ariz. 20.17
Rivers S.D. 19.83
Favre N.Y.J. 19.20
Manning N.Y.G. 18.75
Manning Ind. 18.00
McNabb Phil. 17.33
Orton Chi. 16.33
OSullivan S.F. 16.17
Garrard Jax. 15.00
Frerotte Minn. 14.50
J. Campbell Wash. 14.50
Roethlisberger Pitt. 14.00
Pennington Mia. 14.00
Kitna Det. 13.75
Delhomme Car. 13.50
Griese T.B. 13.00
Ryan Atl. 13.00
Russell Oak. 12.20
Edwards Buff. 12.20
Palmer Cin. 12.00
RUNNING BACKS
Pts./
Player Team Game
Portis Wash. 17.67
Brown Mia. 17.60
Gore S.F. 17.17
Barber Dall. 17.17
Turner Atl. 16.00
Westbrook Phil. 16.00
Forte Chi. 15.83
Bush N.O. 14.83
Parker Pitt. 14.67
Jacobs N.Y.G. 14.25
Slaton Hou. 13.60
Peterson Minn. 13.17
Jones-Drew Jax. 13.00
Jackson St.L. 12.80
Lynch Buff. 12.80
Tomlinson S.D. 12.67
Johnson Ten. 12.40
Jones N.Y.J. 12.20
L. Johnson K.C. 12.00
Graham T.B. 11.50
J. Jones Sea. 11.40
L. McClain Balt. 11.20
James Ariz. 10.50
D. Williams Car. 9.67
Addai Ind. 9.40
White Ten. 9.20
Hightower Ariz. 9.17
Dunn T.B. 9.17
Pittman Den. 9.17
J. Lewis Clev. 9.00
Buckhalter Phil. 9.00
Ward N.Y.G. 9.00
Stewart Car. 8.67
Morris N.E. 8.60
Faulk N.E. 8.25
McFadden Oak. 8.00
Kev. Smith Det. 7.80
F. Jones Dall. 7.50
McGahee Balt. 7.25
C. Perry Cin. 6.83
Bush Oak. 6.80
Norwood Atl. 6.67
Williams Mia. 6.60
Young Den. 6.60
Bradshaw N.Y.G. 6.25
Jackson Buff. 6.20
Fargas Oak. 6.00
Grant G.B. 5.83
Sproles S.D. 5.83
McAllister N.O. 5.75
R. Johnson Det. 5.60
Duckett Sea. 5.60
Cobbs Mia. 5.40
P. Thomas N.O. 5.17
Taylor Jax. 5.00
Jackson G.B. 4.40
Rhodes Ind. 4.20
Taylor Minn. 3.67
Green Hou. 3.67
Tolbert S.D. 3.67
Rice Balt. 3.60
L. Washington N.Y.J. 3.40
RECEIVERS
Pts./
Player Team Game
Boldin Ariz. 16.50
Jennings G.B. 14.83
Fitzgerald Ariz. 14.00
Wayne Ind. 14.00
Marshall Den. 13.80
White Atl. 12.33
A. Johnson Hou. 12.00
Evans Buff. 11.80
Owens Dall. 11.33
Ward Pitt. 11.00
Coles N.Y.J. 11.00
C. Johnson Det. 11.00
Smith Car. 10.75
Moss Wash. 10.67
Chambers S.D. 10.40
Cotchery N.Y.J. 10.00
Houshmandzadeh Cin. 9.67
Royal Den. 9.40
Berrian Minn. 9.17
Jackson S.D. 9.17
Bruce S.F. 9.00
Muhammad Car. 9.00
D. Jackson Phil. 9.00
Bowe K.C. 8.80
Walter Hou. 8.80
Harrison Ind. 8.40
Moss N.E. 8.40
Henderson N.O. 8.33
Lloyd Chi. 8.00
Burress N.Y.G. 7.75
Gage Ten. 7.67
L. Moore N.O. 7.50
Austin Dall. 7.20
Breaston Ariz. 7.17
Meachem N.O. 7.00
Crayton Dall. 6.83
Driver G.B. 6.83
A. Bryant T.B. 6.83
Holmes Pitt. 6.80
Randle El Wash. 6.67
Mason Balt. 6.60
Welker N.E. 6.60
M. Jones Jax. 6.50
Toomer N.Y.G. 6.50
Hixon N.Y.G. 6.50
Camarillo Mia. 6.40
Stokley Den. 6.33
Stuckey N.Y.J. 6.20
Hilliard T.B. 6.17
Baskett Phil. 6.00
R. Williams Det. 5.80
Holt St.L. 5.40
Gonzalez Ind. 5.00
Avery St.L. 5.00
Wade Minn. 4.67
Reed Buff. 4.60
Ocho Cinco Cin. 4.50
Patten N.O. 4.50
Washington Pitt. 4.40
Battle S.F. 4.33
Jenkins Atl. 4.33
Higgins Oak. 4.20
Walker Jax. 4.00
Parrish Buff. 4.00
Looker St.L. 4.00
Johnson S.F. 3.83
Clayton Balt. 3.80
Edwards Clev. 3.75
Nelson G.B. 3.50
G. Lewis Phil. 3.33
McMullen Sea. 3.00
Smith N.Y.G. 3.00
TIGHT ENDS
Pts./
Player Team Game
Witten Dall. 10.17
Gates S.D. 8.17
Scheffler Den. 7.40
Cooley Wash. 6.67
Fasano Mia. 6.40
Gonzalez K.C. 6.20
Daniels Hou. 6.00
Winslow Clev. 5.75
Miller Oak. 5.00
Carlson Sea. 5.00
Olsen Chi. 4.67
Miller Pitt. 4.60
Smith T.B. 4.50
Lewis Jax. 4.50
Shiancoe Minn. 4.50
D. Martin Mia. 4.40
Scaife Ten. 4.40
Keller N.Y.J. 4.00
L.J. Smith Phil. 3.80
Clark Ind. 3.75
Rosario Car. 3.67
Miller N.O. 3.60
D. Lee G.B. 3.40
McMichael St.L. 3.25
Stevens T.B. 3.25
Royal Buff. 3.20
Campbell N.O. 3.00
Boss N.Y.G. 3.00
Santi Ind. 3.00
Davis S.F. 2.67
Graham Den. 2.50
Crumpler Ten. 2.40
Clark Chi. 2.33
Gilmore T.B. 2.17
Walker S.F. 2.00
REGARDLESS OF POS.
Pts./
Player Team Pos Game
Brees N.O. QB 22.67
Rodgers G.B. QB 22.50
Schaub Hou. QB 21.25
Cutler Den. QB 21.17
Romo Dall. QB 21.00
Warner Ariz. QB 20.17
Rivers S.D. QB 19.83
Favre N.Y.J. QB 19.20
Manning N.Y.G. QB 18.75
Manning Ind. QB 18.00
Portis Wash. RB 17.67
Brown Mia. RB 17.60
McNabb Phil. QB 17.33
Gore S.F. RB 17.17
Barber Dall. RB 17.17
Boldin Ariz. WR 16.50
Orton Chi. QB 16.33
OSullivan S.F. QB 16.17
Westbrook Phil. RB 16.00
Turner Atl. RB 16.00
Forte Chi. RB 15.83
Garrard Jax. QB 15.00
Jennings G.B. WR 14.83
Bush N.O. RB 14.83
Parker Pitt. RB 14.67
J. Campbell Wash. QB 14.50
Frerotte Minn. QB 14.50
Jacobs N.Y.G. RB 14.25
Roethlisberger Pitt. QB 14.00
Fitzgerald Ariz. WR 14.00
Pennington Mia. QB 14.00
Wayne Ind. WR 14.00
Marshall Den. WR 13.80
Kitna Det. QB 13.75
Slaton Hou. RB 13.60
Delhomme Car. QB 13.50
Peterson Minn. RB 13.17
Ryan Atl. QB 13.00
Griese T.B. QB 13.00
Jones-Drew Jax. RB 13.00
Jackson St.L. RB 12.80
Lynch Buff. RB 12.80
Carney N.Y.G. PK 12.75
Tomlinson S.D. RB 12.67
Johnson Ten. RB 12.40
White Atl. WR 12.33
Jones N.Y.J. RB 12.20
Edwards Buff. QB 12.20
Russell Oak. QB 12.20
A. Johnson Hou. WR 12.00
Palmer Cin. QB 12.00
L. Johnson K.C. RB 12.00
Cassel N.E. QB 11.80
Evans Buff. WR 11.80
Elam Atl. PK 11.67
Graham T.B. RB 11.50
J. Jones Sea. RB 11.40
Owens Dall. WR 11.33
L. McClain Balt. RB 11.20
Flacco Balt. QB 11.20
Prater Den. PK 11.00
C. Johnson Det. WR 11.00
Coles N.Y.J. WR 11.00
Ward Pitt. WR 11.00
Smith Car. WR 10.75
Moss Wash. WR 10.67
James Ariz. RB 10.50
Chambers S.D. WR 10.40
Hasselbeck Sea. QB 10.25
Witten Dall. TE 10.17
Anderson Clev. QB 10.00
Cotchery N.Y.J. WR 10.00
Nedney S.F. PK 10.00
Collins Ten. QB 9.80
Longwell Minn. PK 9.67
Akers Phil. PK 9.67
Houshmandzadeh Cin. WR 9.67
D. Williams Car. RB 9.67
Bulger St.L. QB 9.50
Addai Ind. RB 9.40
Royal Den. WR 9.40
Kaeding S.D. PK 9.33
White Ten. RB 9.20
Jackson S.D. WR 9.17
Berrian Minn. WR 9.17
Pittman Den. RB 9.17
Dunn T.B. RB 9.17
Hightower Ariz. RB 9.17
D. Jackson Phil. WR 9.00
Bruce S.F. WR 9.00
Mare Sea. PK 9.00
Muhammad Car. WR 9.00
J. Lewis Clev. RB 9.00
Buckhalter Phil. RB 9.00
Ward N.Y.G. RB 9.00
Gostkowski N.E. PK 9.00
Gould Chi. PK 8.83
Suisham Wash. PK 8.83
Scobee Jax. PK 8.83
Walter Hou. WR 8.80
Lindell Buff. PK 8.80
K. Brown Hou. PK 8.80
Bowe K.C. WR 8.80
Thigpen K.C. QB 8.67
Stewart Car. RB 8.67
Morris N.E. RB 8.60
Reed Pitt. PK 8.60
Kasay Car. PK 8.50
Crosby G.B. PK 8.50
Harrison Ind. WR 8.40
Moss N.E. WR 8.40
J. Brown St.L. PK 8.40
Henderson N.O. WR 8.33
Faulk N.E. RB 8.25
Gates S.D. TE 8.17
Lloyd Chi. WR 8.00
Folk Dall. PK 8.00
Janikowski Oak. PK 8.00
McFadden Oak. RB 8.00
Kev. Smith Det. RB 7.80
Burress N.Y.G. WR 7.75
Rackers Ariz. PK 7.67
Gage Ten. WR 7.67
Gramatica N.O. PK 7.60
Feely N.Y.J. PK 7.50
L. Moore N.O. WR 7.50
Fitzpatrick Cin. QB 7.50
F. Jones Dall. RB 7.50
Scheffler Den. TE 7.40
Graham Cin. PK 7.40
McGahee Balt. RB 7.25
Austin Dall. WR 7.20
Breaston Ariz. WR 7.17
Meachem N.O. WR 7.00
Crayton Dall. WR 6.83
C. Perry Cin. RB 6.83
A. Bryant T.B. WR 6.83
Driver G.B. WR 6.83
Holmes Pitt. WR 6.80
Bush Oak. RB 6.80
Norwood Atl. RB 6.67
Cooley Wash. TE 6.67
Randle El Wash. WR 6.67
M. Bryant T.B. PK 6.67
Total fantasy points = TD passes (4 fantasy points each) + passing-yardage points (1 point for every 20 yards) + rushing/receiving TDs (6 points) + rushing- or receiving-yardage points (1 point for every 10 yards) + two-point passes (1 point) + two-point scores (2
points). For kickers, total fantasy points = 18-39-yard field goals (3 fantasy points each) + 40-49-yard field goals (4 points) + 50-plus-yard field goals (5 points) + extra points (1 point). Week Six Monday-night game not included.
FANTASY STATS
HANDICAPPERS CORNER
PFW
consensus
WEEK SEVEN Early pointspreads as of Sunday, Oct. 12
Hub
Arkush
Publisher/
editor
Keith
Schleiden
Editor-
in-chief
Mike
Holbrook
Managing
editor
Dan
Arkush
Executive
editor
Eric
Edholm
Senior
editor
Mike
Wilkening
Senior
editor
Matt
Sohn
Associate
editor
Dan
Parr
Associate
editor
Michael
Blunda
Associate
editor
The Packers
came up with
a key win on
the road last
week, but their
defense is just
not healthy
enough to deal
with a Colts
team suddenly
hitting on all
cylinders.
The Raiders
were an ab-
solute mess in
Tom Cables
debut as head
coach. Theres
no reason to
believe one
week will make
a difference, so
the Jets will
coast to an
easy victory.
Pittsburgh
over Cincin-
nati. I dont
think the Ben-
gals can gen-
erate enough
pressure to
bother Big
Ben. Plus,
Willie Parker
has owned the
Bengals in his
career.
The Bucs fig-
ure to win eas-
ily at home
against a Sea-
hawks team
that appears
to have really
hit the skids,
especially on
the road.
The only thing
that could stop
the Cowboys
would be
turnovers, but
theyll spend
the week
working long
and hard on
ball security
and will win big
in this mislead-
ing mismatch.
Im throwing
out the Pan-
thers no-show
at Tampa Bay
and expecting
a stronger per-
formance
against a
Saints club
that wont play
in New Orleans
again until
Nov. 24.
It's a handi-
capper's per-
fect storm.
One team, the
Raiders, are in
utter disarray.
Another, the
Jets, are hum-
ming
smoothly. And
yet, Oakland's
only getting
three. Bizarre.
Pittsburgh has
won seven of
its last nine
against Cincin-
nati. The Steel-
ers should be
fresh coming
off their bye,
and Im con-
cerned about
Carson
Palmers
health.
The under-
rated Bucs de-
fense is much
too strong for
the struggling
Seahawks
to handle, es-
pecially if
they're minus
QB Matt Has-
selbeck. I like
Tampa Bay
in a runaway.
LOCK OF THE WEEK
Which of your best bets do you feel
strongest about?
PFW STAFF
SELECTIONS
BEST BETS
TAMPABAY -7 vs. Seattle
Pittsburgh -6
1
2 vs. CINCINNATI
N.Y. Jets -3 vs. OAKLAND
CHICAGO vs. Minnesota (39) OVER
LAST WEEK: 3-1 / SEASON: 12-10-1
EARLY LAS VEGAS LINE Home team in caps. Asterisk (*) denotes team will cover pointspread but lose game. Boldface selection indicates best bet.
BUFFALO-1
1
2 vs. San Diego (46) San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego Buffalo San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego San Diego
CAROLINA-3 vs. New Orleans (43
1
2) Carolina New Orleans New Orleans* Carolina New Orleans Carolina New Orleans Carolina New Orleans New Orleans*
CHICAGO-3 vs. Minnesota (39) Chicago Chicago Minnesota Chicago Chicago Minnesota Chicago Chicago Chicago Chicago
Pittsburgh -6
1
2 vs. CINCINNATI (43) Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Cincinnati* Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
Tennessee-7 vs. KANSAS CITY(36) Tennessee Tennessee Tennessee Kansas City* Tennessee Kansas City* Tennessee Kansas City* Tennessee Tennessee
MIAMI-3 vs. Baltimore (35
1
2) Miami Miami Miami Baltimore Miami Baltimore Miami Miami Miami Miami
N.Y. GIANTS -11vs.SanFrancisco(46) N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants San Francisco* San Francisco* San Francisco* N.Y. Giants N.Y. Giants
Dallas -10
1
2 vs. ST. LOUIS(48) Dallas Dallas Dallas St. Louis* Dallas Dallas St. Louis* Dallas Dallas Dallas
HOUSTON-8 vs. Detroit (49) Houston Detroit* Houston Houston Houston Houston Detroit* Detroit* Detroit* Houston
GREEN BAY-1
1
2 vs. Indianapolis (47
1
2) Indianapolis Indianapolis Indianapolis Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay Green Bay
N.Y. Jets -3 vs. OAKLAND(42
1
2) N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets Oakland N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets N.Y. Jets
WASHINGTON -8
1
2 vs. Cleveland (43) Cleveland* Cleveland* Cleveland* Cleveland* Washington Washington Cleveland* Cleveland* Washington Cleveland*
SUNDAY NIGHT
TAMPABAY-7 vs. Seattle (43) Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay Tampa Bay
MONDAY NIGHT
NEWENGLAND -3
1
2 vs. Denver (46) New England Denver Denver New England Denver Denver* Denver Denver Denver Denver
Last week vs. spread 6-8 2-12 5-9 6-8 3-11 10-4 7-7 5-9 6-8 4-10
Season to date vs. spread 40-46-1 42-44-1 49-37-1 44-42-1 37-49-1 50-36-1 44-42-1 43-43-1 40-46-1 43-43-1
Last week best bets 2-1 0-2 2-0 0-3 2-0 1-2 2-1 2-0 3-1 3-1
Season to date best bets 10-8 6-11 11-5-1 9-8 11-6 10-8 10-7-1 8-9 9-8-1 12-10-1
Last week straight-up 8-6 7-7 7-7 8-6 6-8 10-4 9-5 7-7 7-7 7-7
Season to date straight-up 51-36 53-34 55-32 53-34 47-40 56-31 51-36 51-36 48-39 53-34
WEEK SEVEN OPPONENTS VS. SPREAD H home, A away, N neutral, followed by teams score; number in parentheses is number of points by which that
team was favored to win; E game was rated as even; W beat the pointspread; * team beat the pointspread in both regular-season meetings that year; T neither beat
the pointspread; P playoff game; OT overtime.
10-YEAR SERIES RECORDS
SAN DIEGO at Buffalo 4-2 (1-2) (1-2)
New Orleans at Carolina 10-10 (N.O. 6-4) (N.O. 7-3)
MINNESOTA at Chicago 11-9 (4-6) (3-7)
PITTSBURGH at Cincinnati 14-7 (9-2) (9-2)
TENNESSEE at Kansas City 2-1 (1-0) (1-0)
Baltimore at MIAMI 4-2 (4-1) (3-2)
SAN FRANCISCO at N.Y. Giants 3-2 (1-1) (0-2)
DALLAS at St. Louis 2-1 (1-0) (1-0)
DETROIT at Houston 1-0 () ()
Indianapolis at Green Bay 1-1 (G.B. 1-0) (G.B. 1-0)
N.Y. Jets at OAKLAND 5-4 (5-2) (3-3-1)
CLEVELAND at Washington 1-0 () ()
SEATTLE at Tampa Bay 3-1 (2-0) (2-0)
DENVER at New England 6-3 (2-1) (3-0)
Series leader is listed in CAPS with its record
below. Series leaders record at this weeks game
site is listed in parentheses, followed by series
leaders record vs. pointspread at this weeks site.
This years games not included.
MATCHUP 2007 2006
San Diego Did not play A-24(-5
1
2)
at Buffalo H-21W
New Orleans A-31(-3)W H-13(-3
1
2) H-21 A-18W
at Carolina H-6 A-16W A-31(-3)W H-21(-7)
Minnesota H-20(-10) A-34W A-13 H-16W
at Chicago A-13W H-31(-4
1
2) H-23(-9)W A-19(-3
1
2)
Pittsburgh H-24(-7)W* A-24(-4)W A-23W H-20(-2)
at Cincinnati A-10 H-13 H-17(-6)OT A-28W
Tennessee A-26(-3
1
2)W Did not play
at Kansas City H-17
Baltimore A-16(-3)OT Did not play
at Miami H-22W
San Francisco A-15 Did not play
at N.Y. Giants H-33(-9
1
2)W
Dallas H-35(-13)W Did not play
at St. Louis A-7
MATCHUP 2007 2006
Detroit Did not play Did not play
at Houston
Indianapolis Did not play Did not play
at Green Bay
N.Y. Jets Did not play H-23(-10
1
2)W
at Oakland A-3
Cleveland Did not play Did not play
at Washington
Seattle H-20(-6)W A-23W
at Tampa Bay A-6 H-7(-3)
Denver Did not play A-17W
at New England H-7(-6
1
2)
WHOS HOT
20 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
LAS VEGAS CALLING Stephen Nover
Fantasy football can
assist bettors and vice versa
T
he pointspread isnt just a gauge for bet-
tors. Its an information tool for every-
one, including those who engage in fan-
tasy football.
Not all bettors play fantasy football. But
all serious fantasy football owners should be
aware of the pointspread, both side and to-
tal.
Take Week Six for example: Lets say your
fantasy quarterback choice came down to
Packers QB Aaron Rodgers or Chargers QB
Philip Rivers. Their statistics were nearly
even through the first five games. Both had
accounted for 11 touchdowns. Rodgers had
thrown for 91 more yards.
Who to start? Rodgers Packers were
slight road underdogs to the Seahawks. Seat-
tle is a very tough place to play. Rodgers was
nursing a sore shoulder. The total was 46,
so the linemaker was expecting Green Bay
to score three touchdowns.
Rivers had a home start against the Pa-
triots, whose defense isnt dominant any-
more. However, Chargers WR Chris Cham-
bers was hurt. The Chargers were six-point
favorites with an over/under of 44
1
2 . This
tells you the oddsmaker is projecting San
Diego to score at least 24 points.
The choice would be Rivers. Its this kind
of pointspread analysis that has some pro-
fessional bettors getting involved with fan-
tasy football. No, the stakes arent high in
most fantasy leagues. Ego and bragging
rights are motivation enough for some
when it comes to fantasy football. But pro-
fessional gamblers believe participating in
fantasy football can help their handicapping.
So theyre joining the ranks, too.
Fantasy football helps me tremendous-
ly on totals, said Charlie, a professional
over/under bettor who asked that his last
name not be used. On totals, Im trying to
do matchups and flow.
Longtime Las Vegas handicapper Andy
Iskoe has found the time to get involved in
a serious fantasy football league in Las Ve-
gas.
It does, he said when asked if fantasy
football has aided in his handicapping
preparation. It causes you to focus on in-
dividual performances not just team per-
formances. And sometimes youll find some-
thing there you hadnt noticed when just
evaluating team statistics.
I ll notice more the distribution of play
calls for certain positions on certain teams
such as wide receivers versus tight ends and
using receivers out of the backfield.
Some handicappers are statistically in-
clined. Others are trend and angle players.
Fantasy is more for those who are fundamen-
tal handicappers. Theyre the kind that
mainly focuses on matchups and players.
Mark Franco is one such professional cap-
per. He got into a fantasy football league for
the first time this year.
Ive always paid attention to injury reports
for handicapping, but now I pay even more
attention, he said. It keeps you real attuned
to what players are hot. Then, on the flip side,
it brings to light quarterbacks who are do-
ing lousy. If theyre not doing well in fanta-
sy, then chances are their offense isnt very
good.
Those rare owners who have Kyle Orton
on their squad probably are the first to tell
you that Orton threw for 801 yards and sev-
en touchdowns during Weeks Three through
Five. Consequently, high-profile quarterbacks
Carson Palmer, Matt Hasselbeck and Derek
Anderson had just a combined eight touch-
down passes going into the second week of
October.
Playing in a deep-roster fantasy football
league is helpful for bettors. It forces them
to become more familiar with backups.
When a team has to make a change and
you know the quality of the backup, it
saves you time because youve already done
the work, Iskoe said. If you have knowledge
of the backups and depth and theres an in-
jury in the Monday-night game, you can go
out and make a play before the line moves.
Other people might be spending time doing
the evaluation, but youre ready to act.
The more intricate leagues require a
starting tight end. Some specialized leagues
even use individual defensive statistics such
as tackles, interceptions and sacks. The
league Iskoe competes in, for example, ne-
cessitates starting seven defensive players.
Owners in this league arent just looking at
one side of the ball. Below-the-radar play-
ers like Cardinals S Adrian Wilson and Ti-
tans CB Cortland Finnegan can be fantasy
standouts. Wilson is essential to the Cardi-
nals schemes because of his versatility and
blitzing ability. Finnegan was tied for the
league lead in interceptions through Week
Five.
It forces you to really analyze defensive
statistics, Iskoe said. Instead of conjectur-
ing about things, youre looking at hard, ob-
jective facts.
Franco agreed. I really pay far more at-
tention to defensive players now that Im do-
ing fantasy football, he said.
Writer, analyst and handicapper Stephen
Nover has been covering the Las Vegas
sports betting scene since 1984. He is the au-
thor of three books, Las Vegas Sportsbeat,
Sports Gamingbeat and Winning Fantasy
Football.
21 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
LEADERS FOR SEASON TO DATE
(Sept. 4 - Oct. 12)
1. Maddux Sports* ........................................4,860
2. Cajun Sports* ............................................2,970
3. MTI Sports Forecasting* ..........................1,530
4. All-Star Sports ..........................................1,310
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WON-LOST PERCENTAGE LEADERS
1. Maddux Sports* ..........................14-3 ....82.4%
2. Cajun Sports* ..............................13-6 ....68.4%
3. All-Star Sports ..........................17-12 ....58.6%
4. MTI Sports Forecasting* ............11-8 ....57.9%
4. Weekly Wizard Best ....................11-8 ....57.9%
LEADERS FOR SEASON TO DATE
1. Maddux Sports*(P) ....................................4,560
2. Football Picks............................................3,180
3 Cajun Sports*............................................2,930
4. Bruce Hall Sports* ....................................2,900
5. Picks4Players ............................................2,380
WON-LOST PERCENTAGE LEADERS
1. Cajun Sports* ..............................10-2 ....83.3%
2. Maddux Sports*(P) ......................13-3 ....81.3%
3. Lekota Sports* ............................11-3 ....78.6%
4. MTI Sports Forecasting ..............14-7 ....66.7%
5. Football Picks............................20-11 ....64.5%
NFL EDITION
Fol l ow t he Nat i onal Handi capper s Bowl onl i ne at N HB o wl . c o m
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The National Handicappers Bowl feature appears every other week in this paper. To
follow the National Handicappers on a weekly basis and see which participants are
leading the weekly statistics and season to date visit us online at NHBowl.com
Services listed with an asterisk (*) are participating in a cooperative ad that appears
below. Services marked with (P) have passed for the week and made no selections.
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NFL OVER / UNDERS EDITION
GAME OF THE WEEK
Brandon Marshall can expect
to battle double coverage.
Randy Moss will meet his
match in CB Champ Bailey.
BRONCOS
AT
PATRIOTS
When the Broncos
have the ball
The Broncos move the ball well on the
ground but should tend more for the aer-
ial attack vs. the Pats. Even though Jay
Cutlers numbers have dipped recently
from his torrid early-season pace, hes ap-
pearing just as unflappable in the pock-
et. Going against Bill Belichick and his
customized game plans, its critical he re-
mains calm, because hes likely to see
things that didnt show up on film.
But unless Belichick can figure out a
way to generate a better pass rush, Cut-
ler might have loads of time to sit back
and process all that the Patriots are do-
ing. Everyone in New England is at a loss
in explaining how a D-line featuring three
of the NFLs elite talents playing in front
of a savvy and versatile LB corps can have
such difficulty pressuring the QB. Theyve
recorded a mere seven sacks on the sea-
son, and last week all but allowed Philip
Rivers to write his autobiography while
waiting to pass. The Broncos O-line is su-
perb, allowing just two sacks in 08.
Regardless of their success up front, the
Pats will roll coverage toward WR Bran-
don Marshall, whos a mismatch against
New Englands small but speedy corners.
Belichick does as good a job as any in dis-
guising his coverage, and he ll likely
throw multiple zone looks at Cutler and
his receiving corps, which might be once
again without WR Eddie Royal (ankle)
and TE Tony Scheffler (groin).
The Broncos ground game has been led
by bruising Michael Pittman in the ab-
sence of Selvin Young (groin). The Pats
3-4 personnel is smarter than it is quick,
and the linebackers in particular should
be able to quickly identify the O-lineman
peeling off to block him in Denvers
zone-blocking scheme.
When the Patriots
have the ball
Matt Cassel isnt doing the Patriots any
favors. He has looked confused reading
coverages and has tried forcing the ball,
especially deep, to receivers who are
well covered. Yet, the Patriots arent
ready to call on rookie Kevin OConnell
and will continue to try to put Cassel in
manageable down-and-distances. His
line hasnt made things easier for him,
looking nothing like the impenetrable
unit of a season ago.
To aid him, the Pats are likely to lean
on the inside-outside running of Sammy
Morris and Kevin Faulk, assuming Lau-
rence Maroney (shoulder) cant go.
Even though they havent had the type of
explosive runs or consistency on the
ground they would like, they should be
able to get on track against a Broncos box
defense thats not sure whether it wants
to be a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme. Denver has
transitioned to more of the 3-4 alignment
in an effort to generate a better pass rush,
but it makes it even more vulnerable
against the run. The Broncos nose tack-
le in the scheme, ex-Jet Dewayne Robert-
son, had difficulties holding the point dur-
ing his tenure in New York, and the Pats
have reason to believe they could find sim-
ilar success against him in this game.
Faulks also dangerous as a receiver.
Champ Bailey is one of only a few cor-
ners who can feel confident taking on
Randy Moss one-on-one, and Cassels er-
ratic passing will make Denver be even
more comfortable leaving Bailey on an is-
land. This will allow more attention to be
paid to slot receiver Wes Welker, who has
done almost all of his damage a team-
leading 36 receptions underneath.
With the protection woes, Cassel will need
to distribute the ball quickly.
BRONCOS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to Denver
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 8 At Oakland (-3) 41-14
Sept. 14 San Diego (-1) 39-38
Sept. 21 New Orleans (-5.5) 34-32
Sept. 28 At Kansas City (-9) 19-33
Oct. 5 Tampa Bay (-4) 16-13
Oct. 12 Jacksonville (-3.5) 17-24
Oct. 20 At New England
Oct. 26 BYE
Nov. 2 Miami
Nov. 6 At Cleveland
Nov. 16 At Atlanta
Nov. 23 Oakland
Nov. 30 At New York Jets
Dec. 7 Kansas City
Dec. 14 At Carolina
Dec. 21 Buffalo
Dec. 28 At San Diego
PATRIOTS SCHEDULE
Pointspread Refers to New England
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Kansas City (-16) 17-10
Sept. 14 At New York Jets (-1) 19-10
Sept. 21 Miami (-12.5) 13-38
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 At San Francisco (-3) 30-21
Oct. 12 At San Diego (+6) 10-30
Oct. 20 Denver
Oct. 26 St. Louis
Nov. 2 At Indianapolis
Nov. 9 Buffalo
Nov. 13 New York Jets
Nov. 23 At Miami
Nov. 30 Pittsburgh
Dec. 7 At Seattle
Dec. 14 At Oakland
Dec. 21 Arizona
Dec. 28 At Buffalo
H
A
R
R
Y
S
C
U
L
L
J
R
.
E
R
IC
L
A
R
S
B
A
K
K
E
,
D
E
N
V
E
R
B
R
O
N
C
O
S
F
O
O
T
B
A
L
L
C
L
U
B
THE MATCHUPS
Monday, Oct. 20, 2008 8:30 p.m. ET
LOCATIONGillette Stadium TURF Grass MEETING OF THE YEAR First

QB
RB
WR
OL
DL
LB
DB
SS
Coach
WEEK SEVEN
OVERVIEW
Neither team can kid itself into feeling too
chipper heading into this matchup follow-
ing dud Week Six performances. The Bron-
cos were beaten at home by the Jaguars,
while the Patriots were pounded in prime
time in San Diego. Nevertheless, each is sit-
uated nicely in its division, with the Bron-
cos leading the AFC West by a game and the
Pats sitting just a game behind the Bills in
the AFC East. Broncos coach Mike Shana-
han has had Patriots coach Bill Belichicks
number, sporting a 5-1 record against him,
including a 17-7 win in Foxborough in
2006. But these are very different clubs than
those Pats and Broncos teams that squared
off in prior years. Without Tom Brady,
New England has been forced to reinvent it-
self on the fly, which it has found to be a
daunting task. In contrast, Denvers as sta-
ble on offense as it has been since John El-
way was in the saddle, but it continues its
search for a defensive identity.
4-2-0 Season record 3-2-0
1-4-1 Season record vs. spread 2-3-0
1-1-0 Road/home record 1-1-0
1-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 0-2-0
0-0-0 Record on artificial turf 2-1-0
0-0-0 Record on artificial turf vs. spread 1-2-0
DENVER BRONCOS Advantage NEWENGLAND PATRIOTS
PATRIOTS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 83 Welker / 10 Gaffney / 15 Washington
OLT 72 Light / 65 Britt / 64 LeVoir
OLG 70 Mankins / 71 Hochstein
C 67 Koppen / 63 Connolly
ORG 74 Yates / 64 LeVoir
ORT 77 Kaczur / 65 Britt
TE 84 Watson / 86 Thomas
WR 81 Moss / 18 Slater*
QB 16 Cassel / 5 OConnell* / 7 Gutierrez
RB 34 Morris / 33 Faulk / 39 Maroney / 32 Jordan
FB 44 Evans / 32 Jordan
DEFENSE
DLE 94 Warren / 99 Wright
NT 75 Wilfork / 90 Smith
DRE 93 Seymour / 97 Green
LOLB 50 Vrabel / 58 Woods
LILB 51 Mayo* / 59 Guyton*
RILB 54 Bruschi / 52 Alexander / 53 Izzo
ROLB 96 Thomas / 98 Crable*
LCB 29 Sanders / 22 Wheatley*
RCB 27 Hobbs / 21 ONeal / 24 Wilhite*
SS 37 Harrison / 31 Meriweather / 41 Ventrone
FS 36 Sanders / 31 Meriweather
SPECIALISTS
P 6 Hanson
PK 3 Gostkowski
H 6 Hanson
PR 33 Faulk / 21 ONeal / 83 Welker
KR 27 Hobbs / 18 Slater*
LS 66 Paxton
* Rookie
BRONCOS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 15 Marshall / 17 Martinez
OLT 78 Clady* / 76 Polumbus*
OLG 50 Hamilton / 67 Lichtensteiger*
C 62 Wiegmann
ORG 73 Kuper / 67 Lichtensteiger*
ORT 74 Harris / 64 Pears
TE 89 Graham / 88 Scheffler / 81 N. Jackson
WR 19 Royal* / 82 D. Jackson / 14 Stokley
QB 6 Cutler / 11 Ramsey
RB 35 Young / 28 Pittman / 23 Hall
FB 48 Hillis* / 28 Pittman
DEFENSE
DLE 60 Engelberger / 96 Crowder / 91 Ekuban
DLT 63 Robertson / 90 Peterson
DRT 79 Thomas / 95 Shaw
DRE 92 Dumervil / 94 Moss
SLB 97 B. Bailey / 52 Green
MLB 58 Webster / 53 Koutouvides
WLB 55 D. Williams / 51 Winborn
LCB 24 C. Bailey / 26 J. Williams*
RCB 32 Bly / 41 Paymah
SS 33 Manuel
FS 20 McCree / 37 Lowry
SPECIALISTS
P 1 Kern*
PK 5 Prater
H 1 Kern*
PR 19 Royal* / 17 Martinez
KR 19 Royal* / 23 Hall
LS 83 Leach
* Rookie
22 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
GAME PREVIEWS
WEEK SEVEN
CHARGERS GAME PROFILE BILLS
3-3-0 Season record 4-1-0
3-2-1 Season record vs. spread 3-2-0
1-2-0 Road/home record 2-0-0
1-1-1 Road/home record vs. spread 1-1-0
0-0-0 Record on artificial turf 3-0-0
0-0-0 Record on artificial turf vs. spread 2-1-0
CHARGERS
AT
BILLS
CHARGERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to San Diego
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Carolina (-9) 24-26
Sept. 14 At Denver (+1) 38-39
Sept. 22 NewYork Jets (-8) 48-29
Sept. 28 At Oakland (-8.5) 28-18
Oct. 5 At Miami (-6) 10-17
Oct. 12 New England (-6) 30-10
Oct. 19 At Buffalo
Oct. 26 At New Orleans
Nov. 2 BYE
Nov. 9 Kansas City
Nov. 16 At Pittsburgh
Nov. 23 Indianapolis
Nov. 30 Atlanta
Dec. 4 Oakland
Dec. 14 At Kansas City
Dec. 21 At Tampa Bay
Dec. 28 Denver
CHARGERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89Chambers / 84Davis / 80Floyd
OLT 73McNeill / 70Shelton
OLG 68Dielman/ 63Mruczkowski / 67 Forney
C 61 Hardwick / 62Newberry
ORG 79Goff / 63Mruczkowski
ORT 66Clary / 70Shelton/ 75Clark*
TE 85Gates / 86Manumaleuna / 88Wilson
WR 83Jackson/ 11 Naanee / 81 Osgood
QB 17 Rivers / 7Volek / 6Whitehurst
RB 21 Tomlinson/ 43Sproles / 22Hester*
FB 35Tolbert* / 22Hester*
DEFENSE
DLE 99Olshansky / 97 Bingham
NT 76Williams / 97 Bingham/ 98Scott
DRE 93Castillo / 74Cesaire
OLB 95Phillips / 90Applewhite
ILB 54Cooper / 58Smith/ 53Waters
ILB 57Wilhelm/ 51 Dobbins / 59Siler
OLB 94Tucker / 92Harris
LCB 23Jammer / 24Gordon
RCB 31 Cromartie / 20Cason*
SS 42Hart / 28Gregory
FS 32Weddle / 27 Oliver
SPECIALISTS
P 5Scifres
PK 10Kaeding
H 5Scifres
PR 43Sproles / 31 Cromartie / 84Davis
KR 43Sproles / 31 Cromartie / 84Davis
LS 50Binn
* Rookie
OVERVIEWThe Chargers didnt allow their upset loss at
Miami to linger, thrashing the Patriots under the Sunday-night
lights to bring them within a game of the Broncos in the AFC
West. Awaiting them in Orchard Park is an AFC East-leading
Bills club that has had a week to lick its wounds following a
drubbing at the hands of the Cardinals for its first loss.
Whether the Bills can bounce back might hinge on the health
of their wunderkind QB Trent Edwards, who was knocked out
of the last contest with a concussion.
MATCHUP TO WATCH The Chargers are starting to find their
pass-rushing groove, particularly from their outside lineback-
ers, who reap the benefits of having a stout defensive line that
absorbs much of the offensive lines attention. The Bills O-line,
although massive and talented, hasnt been playing as a cohe-
sive unit and cant afford to have blown assignments or Ed-
wards could be battered again.
BYTHE NUMBERS Chargers QB Philip Rivers (14) has thrown
10 more TD passes than Edwards (four).
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
BILLS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Buffalo
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Seattle (-1.5) 34-10
Sept. 14 At Jacksonville (+4.5) 20-16
Sept. 21 Oakland (-10) 24-23
Sept. 28 At St. Louis (-8.5) 31-14
Oct. 5 At Arizona (+2.5) 17-41
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 San Diego
Oct. 26 At Miami
Nov. 2 NewYork Jets
Nov. 9 At New England
Nov. 17 Cleveland
Nov. 23 At Kansas City
Nov. 30 San Francisco
Dec. 7 Miami
Dec. 14 At NewYork Jets
Dec. 21 At Denver
Dec. 28 New England
BILLS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 83Evans / 11 Parrish/ 13St. Johnson*
OLT 71 Peters / 77 Bell*
OLG 66Dockery / 65Whittle
C 67 Fowler / 75Preston
ORG 60Butler / 75Preston
ORT 68Walker / 73Chambers
TE 84Royal / 80Schouman/ 86Fine*
WR 81 Hardy* / 82Reed
QB 5Edwards / 7 Losman/ 10Hamdan
RB 23Lynch/ 22Jackson/ 25Omon*
FB 36Barnes
DEFENSE
DLE 90Kelsay / 92Denney
DLT 99Stroud/ 97 McCargo
DRT 95Williams / 91 Sp. Johnson
DRE 94Schobel / 96Bryan/ 93Ellis*
SLB 56Ellison/ 54Costanzo
MLB 51 Posluszny / 52DiGiorgio
WLB 59Mitchell / 57 Corto
LCB 33Greer / 28McKelvin*
RCB 24McGee / 26Youboty / 27 Corner*
SS 20Whitner / 43Scott / 29Wendling
FS 30Simpson/ 37Wilson
SPECIALISTS
P 8Moorman
PK 9Lindell
H 8Moorman
PR 11 Parrish/ 28McKelvin*
KR 24McGee / 28McKelvin*
LS 72Neill
* Rookie
SAINTS GAME PROFILE PANTHERS
3-3-0 Season record 4-2-0
4-2-0 Season record vs. spread 3-2-1
0-2-0 Road/home record 3-0-0
1-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 2-0-1
0-2-0 Record on natural turf 4-1-0
1-1-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 3-1-1
SAINTS
AT
PANTHERS
SAINTS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to New Orleans
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Tampa Bay (-3) 24-20
Sept. 14 At Washington (0) 24-29
Sept. 21 At Denver (+5.5) 32-34
Sept. 28 San Francisco (-4) 31-17
Oct. 6 Minnesota (-3) 27-30
Oct. 12 Oakland (-7) 34-3
Oct. 19 At Carolina
Oct. 26 San Diego
Nov. 2 BYE
Nov. 9 At Atlanta
Nov. 16 At Kansas City
Nov. 24 Green Bay
Nov. 30 At Tampa Bay
Dec. 7 Atlanta
Dec. 11 At Chicago
Dec. 21 At Detroit
Dec. 28 Carolina
SAINTS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 12Colston/ 81 Patten/ 16Moore
OLT 70Brown/ 74Bushrod
OLG 77 Nicks*
C 76Goodwin/ 68Lehr
ORG 73Evans
ORT 78Stinchcomb/ 64Strief
TE 88Shockey / 80Campbell / 83Miller
WR 19Henderson/ 17 Meachem
QB 9Brees / 11 Brunell / 3Harrington
RB 25Bush/ 26McAllister / 23Thomas
FB 44Karney
DEFENSE
DLE 94Grant
NT 71 Clancy / 66B. Young
UT 66B. Young / 96Lake / 98Ellis*
DRE 91 Smith/ 93McCray
SLB 55Fujita / 54Evans
MLB 51 Vilma / 50Mitchell
WLB 58Shanle / 56Dunbar
LCB 34McKenzie / 42David/ 31 Glenn
RCB 20Gay / 28U. Young
SS 41 Harper / 39Reis
FS 29Bullocks / 43Kaesviharn
SPECIALISTS
P 7Weatherford
PK 5Mehlhaff
H 7Weatherford
PR 25Bush/ 16Moore
KR 23Thomas / 27 Stecker
LS 47 Houser
* Rookie
OVERVIEWThis is a familiar situation for the Panthers, having
opened the season 4-2 for the fourth consecutive year. After
flopping last week at Tampa Bay, Carolina faces another tough
NFC South foe this week when New Orleans comes to town.
The Saints have won three of their last four at Carolina.
MATCHUP TO WATCH After allowing 122.8 rushing yards per
game through the first four contests, a once-porous Saints run
defense has been stifling the past two weeks, giving up an av-
erage of just 64.5 rushing yards and zero rushing TDs against
two of the better ground attacks (Vikings and Raiders) in the
league. If the Saints continue their aggressive play, the Pan-
thers offense could be in for another subpar day. It is built
around the 1-2 punch of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan
Stewart. When they struggle, like last week (17 carries, 39
yards), the whole offense stalls. Akey for the Saints will be the
D-lines ability to keep blockers off MLB Jonathan Vilma.
BYTHE NUMBERS Saints QB Drew Brees has thrown for 320
yards or more in five of six games.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
PANTHERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Carolina
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At San Diego (+9) 26-24
Sept. 14 Chicago (-3) 20-17
Sept. 21 At Minnesota (+3) 10-20
Sept. 28 Atlanta (-7) 24-9
Oct. 5 Kansas City (-9.5) 34-0
Oct. 12 At Tampa Bay (+2) 3-27
Oct. 19 New Orleans
Oct. 26 Arizona
Nov. 2 BYE
Nov. 9 At Oakland
Nov. 16 Detroit
Nov. 23 At Atlanta
Nov. 30 At Green Bay
Dec. 8 Tampa Bay
Dec. 14 Denver
Dec. 21 At NewYork Giants
Dec. 28 At New Orleans
PANTHERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89Smith/ 80Jarrett
OLT 69Gross / 76Omiyale
OLG 70Wharton/ 63Hangartner / 73Bridges
C 67 Kalil / 63Hangartner
ORG 68Vincent / 73Bridges
ORT 79Otah* / 76Omiyale
TE 47 King / 88Rosario / 82Barnidge*
WR 87 Muhammad/ 18Hackett
QB 17 Delhomme / 12McCown/ 3Moore
RB 34Williams / 28Stewart*
FB 45Hoover / 37 Goings
DEFENSE
DLE 96Brayton/ 95Johnson
DLT 99Kemoeatu/ 91 Gibson
DRT 92Lewis / 93Walker
DRE 90Peppers / 66Taylor*
SLB 53Diggs / 54Johnson/ 55Curry
MLB 52Beason/ 59Seward/ 57 Connor*
WLB 58Davis / 50Anderson
LCB 20Gamble / 31 Marshall
RCB 21 Lucas / 23Wesley / 27Wilson
SS 43Harris / 26Teal
FS 30Godfrey* / 25Salley
SPECIALISTS
P 7 Baker
PK 4Kasay / 5Lloyd
H 7 Baker
PR 84Jones
KR 84Jones / 28Stewart *
LS 56Kyle
* Rookie
VIKINGS GAME PROFILE BEARS
3-3-0 Season record 3-3-0
2-4-0 Season record vs. spread 3-2-1
1-2-0 Road/home record 1-1-0
1-2-0 Road/home record vs. spread 1-1-0
0-2-0 Record on natural turf 1-2-0
0-2-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 1-1-1
VIKINGS
AT
BEARS
VIKINGS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Mennesota
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 8 At Green Bay (+2.5) 19-24
Sept. 14 Indianapolis (+1.5) 15-18
Sept. 21 Carolina (-3) 20-10
Sept. 28 At Tennessee (+3.5) 17-30
Oct. 6 At New Orleans (+3) 30-27
Oct. 12 Detroit (-13) 12-10
Oct. 19 At Chicago
Oct. 26 BYE
Nov. 2 Houston
Nov. 9 Green Bay
Nov. 16 At Tampa Bay
Nov. 23 At Jacksonville
Nov. 30 Chicago
Dec. 7 At Detroit
Dec. 14 At Arizona
Dec. 21 Atlanta
Dec. 28 NewYork Giants
VIKINGS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 87 Berrian/ 89Ferguson
OLT 74McKinnie / 79Hicks / 72M. Johnson
OLG 76Hutchinson
C 78Birk / 65Sullivan*
ORG 64Herrera
ORT 62Cook / 60Radovich*
TE 81 Shiancoe / 40Kleinsasser / 45Mills
WR 18Rice / 19Wade / 84Allison
QB 12Frerotte / 7T. Jackson/ 4Booty*
RB 28Peterson/ 29Taylor / 43Hicks
FB 38Tahi / 44Tapeh/ 83Dugan
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Edwards / 73Grigsby
NT 94P. Williams / 90Evans
UT 93K. Williams / 97Wyms / 98Guion*
DRE 69Allen/ 96Robison
SLB 51 Leber / 54Ciurciu
MLB 58Herron
WLB 52Greenway / 50Er. Henderson
LCB 26Winfield/ 21 McCauley
RCB 23Griffin/ 41 Gordon/ 22Sapp
SS 42Sharper / 39Abdullah
FS 25T. Johnson* / 37 Frampton
SPECIALISTS
P 5Kluwe
PK 8Longwell
H 5Kluwe / 12Frerotte
PR 84Allison
KR 29Taylor / 43M. Hicks / 84Allison
LS 46Loeffler
* Rookie
OVERVIEWThe Bears hearts were broken in Atlanta when PK
Jason Elams 48-yard field goal on the final play gave the Fal-
cons a wild 22-20 victory that spoiled an outstanding come-
back effort by Bears QB Kyle Orton. The Vikings broke the
division-rival underdog Lions hearts and moved to the .500
mark with their second victory in six days when Ryan Longwells
26-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining gave Minnesota
a 12-10 win at home that was far from an artistic success.
Vikings RB Adrian Peterson rushed for more than 100 yards
(25-111) for the first time since Week Two but lost two fumbles.
MATCHUP TO WATCH Vikings WR Bernard Berrian, whose
86-yard TD catch was the only TD Minnesota could manage vs.
the Lions, is quite familiar with the Bears banged-up CB corps
from his time in Chicago. Berrian has 11 catches for 241 yards
and two TDs the past two weeks, and the status of both start-
ing Bears CBs Charles Tillman and Nate Vasher could be iffy.
BYTHE NUMBERS Fourth-quarter defensive meltdowns are
responsible for all three of the Bears losses this season.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
BEARS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Chicago
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Indianapolis (+10.5) 29-13
Sept. 14 At Carolina (+3) 17-20
Sept. 21 Tampa Bay (-3) 24-27*
Sept. 28 Philadelphia (+3) 24-20
Oct. 5 At Detroit (-3.5) 34-7
Oct. 12 At Atlanta (-3) 20-22
Oct. 19 Minnesota
Oct. 26 BYE
Nov. 2 Detroit
Nov. 9 Tennessee
Nov. 16 At Green Bay
Nov. 23 At St. Louis
Nov. 30 At Minnesota
Dec. 7 Jacksonville
Dec. 11 New Orleans
Dec. 22 Green Bay
Dec. 28 At Houston
* Overtime
BEARS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 81 R. Davis / 23Hester / 85Bennett*
OLT 78St. Clair / 74C. Williams*
OLG 67 Beekman/ 60Metcalf
C 57 Kreutz
ORG 63Garza / 72Buenning
ORT 76Tait / 69Miller
TE 88Clark / 82Olsen/ 87 K. Davis*
WR 86Booker / 80Lloyd
QB 18Orton/ 8Grossman/ 12Hanie*
RB 22Fort*/ 27Jones / 29Peterson/ 25Wolfe
FB 37 McKie
DEFENSE
DLE 93Ogunleye / 71 Idonije
DT 91 Harris / 94Harrison*
NT 98Dvoracek / 95A. Adams / 75Toeaina
DRE 96A. Brown/ 97Anderson
WLB 55Briggs / 52J. Williams / 90LaRocque*
MLB 54Urlacher / 53Roach
SLB 92Hillenmeyer / 58McClover
LCB 33Tillman/ 21 Graham
RCB 31 Vasher / 26McBride / 24 Hamilton
SS 44Payne / 20Steltz*
FS 30M. Brown/ 38D. Manning
SPECIALISTS
P 4Maynard
PK 9Gould
H 4Maynard
PR 23Hester / 31 Vasher / 85Bennett*
KR 23Hester / 38D. Manning / 81 R. Davis
LS 65Mannelly / 82Olsen/ 88Clark
* Rookie
23 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
GAME PREVIEWS
WEEK SEVEN
STEELERS GAME PROFILE BENGALS
4-1-0 Season record 0-6-0
2-3-0 Season record vs. spread 2-4-0
2-1-0 Road/home record 0-2-0
1-2-0 Road/home record vs. spread 0-2-0
0-0-0 Record on artificial turf 0-6-0
0-0-0 Record on artificial turf vs. spread 2-4-0
STEELERS
AT
BENGALS
STEELERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Pitsburgh
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Houston (-6.5) 38-17
Sept. 14 At Cleveland (-7) 10-6
Sept. 21 At Philadelphia (+3.5) 6-15
Sept. 29 Baltimore (-6) 23-20*
Oct. 5 At Jacksonville (+5.5) 26-21
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 At Cincinnati
Oct. 26 NewYork Giants
Nov. 3 At Washington
Nov. 9 Indianapolis
Nov. 16 San Diego
Nov. 20 Cincinnati
Nov. 30 At New England
Dec. 7 Dallas
Dec. 14 At Baltimore
Dec. 21 At Tennessee
Dec. 28 Cleveland
* Overtime
STEELERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
SE 86Ward/ 85Washington
OLT 77 M. Smith/ 79Essex / 66Hills*
OLG 68Kemoeatu/ 79Essex
C 62Hartwig / 72Stapleton
ORG 72Stapleton/ 79Essex
ORT 74Colon/ 78Starks
TE 83Miller / 89Spaeth/ 49McHugh
FL 10Holmes / 81 Baker / 14Sweed*
QB 7 Roethlisberger / 4Leftwich/ 2Dixon*
RB 39Parker / 21 Moore / 33Russell / 44Davenport
FB 38Davis
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Aa. Smith/ 90Kirschke / 96Roye
NT 98Hampton/ 76Hoke
DRE 99Keisel / 93Eason
LOLB 56Woodley / 53Davis*
LILB 51 Farrior / 57 Fox
RILB 50Foote / 94Timmons
ROLB 92Harrison/ 54Frazier / 95Woods*
LCB 24Taylor / 22Gay / 37 Madison
RCB 20McFadden/ 26Townsend
SS 43Polamalu/ 23Carter
FS 25Clark / 27An. Smith
SPECIALISTS
P 17 Berger
PK 3Reed
H 17 Berger
PR 10Holmes
KR 21 Moore
LS 60Warren
* Rookie
OVERVIEWThe Steelers have won in their last seven trips to
Paul Brown Stadium, and they again will provide a tough
matchup for the Bengals, who are looking for their first win of
the season. When the Bengals have played the Steelers tough
in recent seasons, it usually has been behind the passing of
QB Carson Palmer, but a nagging right elbow injury has side-
lined him in two of the past three weeks.
MATCHUP TO WATCH Can the Bengals generate a pass rush
capable of making life uncomfortable for Steelers QB Ben
Roethlisberger? Bengals DREs Antwan Odom and Frostee
Rucker each notched a sack in Week Six, and DLE Robert
Geathers recorded a hit of Jets QB Brett Favre. Steelers OLT
Marvel Smith and ORTWillie Colon have had their problems in
pass protection this season, so the Bengals have to believe
these are matchups they can win.
BYTHE NUMBERS Steelers RB Willie Parker, who is expected
to return to the lineup after missing the past two games with a
knee injury, has rushed for 151-682-6 all-time vs. Cincinnati.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
24 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
BENGALS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Cincinnati
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Baltimore (-2) 10-17
Sept. 14 Tennessee (0) 7-24
Sept. 21 At NewYork Giants (+13) 23-26*
Sept. 28 Cleveland (-1) 12-20
Oct. 5 At Dallas (+16) 22-31
Oct. 12 At NewYork Jets (+9.5) 14-26
Oct. 19 Pittsburgh
Oct. 26 At Houston
Nov. 2 Jacksonville
Nov. 9 BYE
Nov. 16 Philadelphia
Nov. 20 At Pittsburgh
Nov. 30 Baltimore
Dec. 7 At Indianapolis
Dec. 14 Washington
Dec. 21 At Cleveland
Dec. 28 Kansas City
* Overtime
BENGALS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 85Ocho Cinco / 16Holt / 89Simpson*
OLT 76L. Jones / 73Collins*
OLG 77Whitworth/ 61 Davis
C 53Ghiaciuc / 64Cook
ORG 63Williams / 75Kooistra
ORT 79Andrews / 73Collins*
TE 82Kelly / 81 Utecht / 86Coats
WR 84Houshmandzadeh/ 15Henry / 83Chatman/ 87 Caldwell*
QB 9C. Palmer / 11 Fitzpatrick / 5J. Palmer
RB 23Perry / 32Benson/ 33Watson
FB 86Coats
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Geathers / 68Fanene
DLT 94Peko / 95Harris
DRT 97Thornton/ 90Sims*
DRE 98Odom/ 92Rucker
SLB 93Jeanty / 59B. Johnson
MLB 57 Dh. Jones / 51 Mays / 52Hodge
WLB 55Rivers* / 59B. Johnson
LCB 22Joseph/ 25Fletcher
RCB 29Hall / 20Da. Jones
SS 41 Ndukwe / 28Jackson/ 34Hebert
FS 26White / 47 Lynch* / 44Jones
SPECIALISTS
P 19Larson
PK 17 Graham/ 3Rayner
H 19Larson
PR 83Chatman/ 84Houshmandzadeh/ 29Hall
KR 16Holt / 87 Caldwell*
LS 48St. Louis
* Rookie
TITANS GAME PROFILE CHIEFS
5-0-0 Season record 1-4-0
5-0-0 Season record vs. spread 2-3-0
2-0-0 Road/home record 1-1-0
2-0-0 Road/home record vs. spread 1-1-0
3-0-0 Record on natural turf 1-2-0
3-0-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 1-2-0
TITANS
AT
CHIEFS
TITANS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Tennessee
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Jacksonville (+3) 17-10
Sept. 14 At Cincinnati (0) 24-7
Sept. 21 Houston (-5) 31-12
Sept. 28 Minnesota (-3.5) 30-17
Oct. 5 At Baltimore (-1) 13-10
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 At Kansas City
Oct. 27 Indianapolis
Nov. 2 Green Bay
Nov. 9 At Chicago
Nov. 16 At Jacksonville
Nov. 23 NewYork Jets
Nov. 27 At Detroit
Dec. 7 Cleveland
Dec. 14 At Houston
Dec. 21 Pittsburgh
Dec. 28 At Indianapolis
TITANS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 19McCareins / 87 Hawkins* / 17 C. Davis
OLT 71 Roos / 70Loper / 66Otto
OLG 54Amano / 64Harris / 70Loper
C 68Mawae / 64Harris
ORG 73Scott / 64Harris / 70Loper
ORT 76Stewart / 70Loper
TE 83Crumpler / 80Scaife / 88Stevens*
WR 12Gage / 81 B. Jones / 11 P. Williams
QB 5Collins / 10Young / 8Simms
RB 28C. Johnson* / 25White / 42Henry / 35Ganther
FB 45Hall
DEFENSE
DLE 90Kearse / 78Ford/ 95Hayes*
DLT 97 Brown/ 91 J. Jones*
DRT 92Haynesworth/ 96Vickerson
DRE 93VandenBosch/ 98Ball / 91 J. Jones*
SLB 53Bulluck / 56Allred/ 59Keglar*
MLB 55Tulloch/ 52Fowler
WLB 50Thornton/ 57 Stamer / 58Amato
LCB 20Harper / 21 Hill / 29Carr
RCB 31 Finnegan/ 30King
SS 24Hope / 23Nickey / 29Carr
FS 33Griffin/ 22Fuller
SPECIALISTS
P 15Hentrich
PK 2Bironas
H 15Hentrich
PR 29Carr / 17 Davis / 81 Jones
KR 29Carr / 28C. Johnson* / 87 Hawkins*
LS 58Amato / 68Mawae
* Rookie
OVERVIEWThe AFCs only unbeaten team, the Titans, boasts
a stout, well-rounded defense and a generally conservative of-
fense. The Chiefs are enduring their share of growing pains as
the club rebuilds around younger players. Kansas City could
get a boost from the return of QB Brodie Croyle, who has been
out since Week One with a shoulder injury. These teams met
last season, with Tennessee scoring a 26-17 road win.
MATCHUP TO WATCH The Chiefs best chance at scoring the
upset will be to stop the run and pressure QB Kerry Collins
into mistakes in unfavorable down-and-distance situations.
They cannot allow Titans rookie RB Chris Johnson to get to
the edge and turn the corner with a head of steam. Speedy
Derrick Johnson, the clubs leading tackler, needs to be on top
of his game, as do SLBs Donnie Edwards and Demorrio
Williams, who are both expected to see action in Week Six.
BYTHE NUMBERS Collins has been sacked only once in four
starts in 2008, but he has completed less than 54 percent of
his throws in three of those starts.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
CHIEFS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Kansas City
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At New England (+16) 10-17
Sept. 14 Oakland (-3.5) 8-23
Sept. 21 At Atlanta (+6) 14-38
Sept. 28 Denver (+9) 33-19
Oct. 5 At Carolina (+9.5) 0-34
Oct. 12 BYE
Oct. 19 Tennessee
Oct. 26 At NewYork Jets
Nov. 2 Tampa Bay
Nov. 9 At San Diego
Nov. 16 New Orleans
Nov. 23 Buffalo
Nov. 30 At Oakland
Dec. 7 At Denver
Dec. 14 San Diego
Dec. 21 Miami
Dec. 28 At Cincinnati
CHIEFS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 82Bowe / 85Franklin* / 83Bradley
OLT 76Albert* / 75Taylor
OLG 54Waters / 74W. Smith/ 60De La Puente*
C 64Niswanger / 74W. Smith
ORG 73Jones / 74W. Smith/ 60De La Puente*
ORT 77 McIntosh/ 75Taylor / 67 Richardson*
TE 88Gonzalez / 87 Cottam* / 84Foschi
WR 81 Darling / 80Webb/ 83Bradley
QB 12Croyle / 11 Huard/ 4Thigpen
RB 27 L. Johnson/ 25Charles* / 21 K. Smith
FB 42Cox*
DEFENSE
DLE 90McBride / 70Boone
DLT 93Tyler / 95R. Edwards
DRT 72Dorsey* / 99Jackson
DRE 91 Hali / 97Johnston*
SLB 59D. Edwards / 53Williams / 52Walden*
MLB 55Thomas / 50Harris / 57 Dacus*
WLB 56D. Johnson/ 53Williams / 52Walden*
LCB 39Carr* / 23Surtain
RCB 24Flowers* / 22Patterson/ 31 Leggett*
SS 49Pollard/ 38Morgan*
FS 44Page / 47 McGraw
SPECIALISTS
P 2Colquitt
PK 9Novak
H 2Colquitt
PR 29Savage* / 25Charles*
KR 29Savage* / 25Charles*
LS 51 Darche
* Rookie
RAVENS GAME PROFILE DOLPHINS
2-3-0 Season record 2-3-0
3-2-0 Season record vs. spread 3-2-0
0-2-0 Road/home record 1-1-0
1-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 1-1-0
0-1-0 Record on natural turf 1-3-0
1-0-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 2-2-0
RAVENS
AT
DOLPHINS
RAVENS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Baltimore
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Cincinnati (+2) 17-10
Sept. 14 BYE
Sept. 21 Cleveland (-2.5) 28-10
Sept. 29 At Pittsburgh (+6) 20-23*
Oct. 5 Tennessee (+1) 10-13
Oct. 12 At Indianapolis (+4) 3-31
Oct. 19 At Miami
Oct. 26 Oakland
Nov. 2 At Cleveland
Nov. 9 At Houston
Nov. 16 At NewYork Giants
Nov. 23 Philadelphia
Nov. 30 At Cincinnati
Dec. 7 Washington
Dec. 14 Pittsburgh
Dec. 20 At Dallas
Dec. 28 Jacksonville
* Overtime
RAVENS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89Clayton/ 87 D. Williams
OLT 71 Gaither / 78Terry / 64Cousins*
OLG 66Grubbs / 48Chester / 76Hale*
C 60Brown/ 48Chester
ORG 73Yanda / 48Chester
ORT 78Terry / 79Anderson
TE 86Heap/ 83Wilcox / 48Chester
WR 85Mason/ 16Figurs / 81 Ma. Smith*
QB 5Flacco* / 2Bouman/ 10T. Smith
RB 23McGahee / 33L. McClain/ 27 Rice*
FB 33L. McClain/ 42Neal
DEFENSE
DLE 90Pryce / 91 Douglas
NT 94Bannan/ 96Divens*
DRE 92Ngata / 94Bannan
LOLB 95Johnson/ 53J. McClain*
LILB 52Lewis / 59Greisen
RILB 57 Scott / 56Gooden* / 51 Ayanbadejo
ROLB 55Suggs / 50Barnes
LCB 21 McAlister / 41 Walker / 35Ivy
RCB 31 Washington/ 29Martin/ 22Rolle
SS 26Landry / 28Zbikowski* / 43Nakamura*
FS 20Reed/ 36Leonhard
SPECIALISTS
P 4Koch
PK 3Stover
H 4Koch
PR 16Figurs / 36Leonhard/ 28Zbikowski*
KR 16Figurs / 36Leonhard/ 27 Rice*
LS 70Katula
* Rookie
OVERVIEWNew coaches John Harbaugh and Tony Sparano
are both well on their way to establishing the Ravens and Dol-
phins as forces to be reckoned with, but each underwent jar-
ring setbacks a week ago. Baltimore got whipped senseless in a
31-3 loss to the Colts, while Matt Schaub scampered for a last-
second touchdown to lift the previously winless Texans over
Miami. The Dolphins revamped 3-4 defense has generated
consistent pressure on the passer and will look to force rookie
QB Joe Flacco into mistakes. The Ravens have revenge on their
mind after Miami got its lone victory in 2007 against them.
MATCHUP TO WATCH The Ravens league-best run defense
might have to dial down its high-octane ways to play a more
disciplined brand of ball against Ronnie Brown and the Dol-
phins Wildcat look. Miami runs so many misdirection and
gadget plays out of the alignment that defensive overpursuit
could lead to some long touchdowns.
BYTHE NUMBERS The Ravens have lost seven straight road
games since a 9-7 win at San Francisco on Oct. 7, 2007.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
DOLPHINS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Miami
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 NewYork Jets (+3) 14-20
Sept. 14 At Arizona (+6.5) 10-31
Sept. 21 At New England (+12.5) 38-13
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 San Diego (+6) 17-10
Oct. 12 At Houston (+3) 28-29
Oct. 19 Baltimore
Oct. 26 Buffalo
Nov. 2 At Denver
Nov. 9 Seattle
Nov. 16 Oakland
Nov. 23 New England
Nov. 30 At St. Louis
Dec. 7 At Buffalo
Dec. 14 San Francisco
Dec. 21 At Kansas City
Dec. 28 At NewYork Jets
DOLPHINS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 19Ginn/ 15Bess* / 18Wilford
OLT 77 Long* / 76Barton*
OLG 65Smiley / 61 Murphy*
C 64Satele / 57Alleman
ORG 68Ndukwe / 73Mathis
ORT 72Carey / 75Garner*
TE 81 Fasano / 88Martin/ 81 Haynos*
WR 83Camarillo / 82Hagan / 17 London
QB 10Pennington / 7 Henne* / 9Beck
RB 23Brown / 34Williams / 38Cobbs
FB 30Cramer
DEFENSE
DLE 70Langford* / 94Starks / 90Wright
NT 95Ferguson/ 96Soliai
DRE 97 Merling* / 91 Holliday / 71 Dotson*
OLB 55Porter / 56Anderson
LILB 52Crowder / 53Torbor
RILB 51 Ayodele / 53Torbor
OLB 98Roth/ 74Moses
LCB 25W. Allen/ 22Lehan/ 29Culver
RCB 21 Goodman/ 33Jones
SS 37 Bell / 20Crocker
FS 24Hill / 32J. Allen
SPECIALISTS
P 2Fields
PK 5Carpenter*
H 2Fields
PR 15Bess* / Ginn
KR 15Bess* / Ginn
LS 92Denney
* Rookie
GAME PREVIEWS
WEEK SEVEN
49ERS GAME PROFILE GIANTS
2-4-0 Season record 4-0-0
2-4-0 Season record vs. spread 3-1-0
1-1-0 Road/home record 3-0-0
1-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 2-1-0
1-1-0 Record on artificial turf 4-0-0
1-1-0 Record on artificial turf vs. spread 3-1-0
49ERS
AT
GIANTS
49ERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to San Francisco
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Arizona (+2.5) 13-23
Sept. 14 At Seattle (+6) 33-30*
Sept. 21 Detroit (-5) 31-13
Sept. 28 At New Orleans (+4) 17-31
Oct. 5 New England (+3) 21-30
Oct. 12 Philadelphia (+5) 26-40
Oct. 19 At NewYork Giants
Oct. 26 Seattle
Nov. 2 BYE
Nov. 10 At Arizona
Nov. 16 St. Louis
Nov. 23 At Dallas
Nov. 30 At Buffalo
Dec. 7 NewYork Jets
Dec. 14 At Miami
Dec. 21 At St. Louis
Dec. 28 Washington
* Overtime
49ERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 82Johnson/ 84Morgan* / 89J. Hill
OLT 74Staley / 65Sims
OLG 68Snyder / 64Baas
C 66Heitmann/ 59Wallace*
ORG 69Wragge / 62Rachal*
ORT 65Sims / 75J. Jennings
TE 85Davis / 46Walker / 47 Bajema
WR 88Bruce / 83Battle
QB 14OSullivan/ 13S. Hill / 10Martin
RB 21 Gore / 29Foster / 24Robinson
FB 45Keasey
DEFENSE
DLE 91 McDonald/ 96Balmer*
NT 90Sopoaga / 92Franklin/ 93Fields
DRE 94J. Smith/ 96Balmer*
OLB 99Lawson/ 95Banta-Cain
ILB 51 Spikes / 53Ulbrich
ILB 52Willis / 55Brooks
OLB 98Haralson/ 54Green
LCB 22Clements / 30Strickland /25Brown
RCB 27 Harris / 23Hudson/ 31 R. Smith*
SS 32M. Lewis / 28K. Lewis
FS 26Roman/ 38Goldson
SPECIALISTS
P 4Lee
PK 6Nedney
H 4Lee / 83Battle
PR 20Rossum/ 83Battle / 22Clements
KR 20Rossum/ 46Walker / 24Robinson
LS 86B. Jennings / 47 Bajema
* Rookie
OVERVIEWHeading into their Monday-nighter against Cleve-
land, the Giants looked like one of the best two or three defen-
sive teams and were coming off perhaps their best offensive
performance sans a suspended Plaxico Burress in the
blowout win over Seattle. The 49ers showed good effort
against the Eagles but dropped their third straight game.
MATCHUP TO WATCH Burress, back from suspension, will
face an interesting battle with 49ers CB Walt Harris, who often
gets tough man-coverage assignments and tends to perform
better against bigger, more physical receivers as opposed to
the quickers guys. QB Eli Manning, however, is dialed in right
now and has improved in terms of not forcing the ball to one
player. Hell take what the 49ers give him, and if they dont
generate a pass rush (they had zero sacks vs. Philly) against a
good O-line, Manning could flourish, especially off play-action.
BYTHE NUMBERS 49ers LB Takeo Spikes has interceptions
in three straight games. ... 49ers TE Vernon Davis caught six
passes last week; he had five in the previous five games.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
GIANTS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to NewYork
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 4 Washington (-5) 16-7
Sept. 14 At St. Louis (-8.5) 41-13
Sept. 21 Cincinnati (-13) 26-23*
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 Seattle (-7) 44-6
Oct. 13 At Cleveland
Oct. 19 San Francisco
Oct. 26 At Pittsburgh
Nov. 2 Dallas
Nov. 9 At Philadelphia
Nov. 16 Baltimore
Nov. 23 At Arizona
Nov. 30 At Washington
Dec. 7 Philadelphia
Dec. 14 At Dallas
Dec. 21 Carolina
Dec. 28 At Minnesota
* Overtime
GIANTS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 17 Burress / 87 Hixon/ 82Manningham*
OLT 66Diehl / 77 Boothe
OLG 69Seubert / 65Ruegamer
C 60OHara / 65Ruegamer
ORG 76Snee / 77 Boothe
ORT 67 McKenzie / 61 Koets
TE 89Boss / 88Matthews / 84D. Johnson
WR 81 Toomer / 12Smith/ 83Moss
QB 10E. Manning / 2Wright / 8Carr
RB 27Jacobs / 34Ward/ 44Bradshaw
FB 39Hedgecock
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Tuck / 99Wynn/ 95McDougle
NT 96Cofield
DT 98Robbins / 93Alford
DRE 97 Kiwanuka / 71 Tollefson
SLB 55Clark / 51 DeOssie
MLB 58Pierce / 57 Blackburn/ 54Goff*
WLB 59Wilkinson/ 53Kehl*
LCB 31 Ross / 35Dockery / 30Thomas*
RCB 23Webster / 29Madison/ 25McQuarters
SS 37 Butler / 26Knight
FS 20M. Johnson/ 21 Phillips*
SPECIALISTS
P 18Feagles
PK 5Carney / 9Tynes
H 18Feagles
PR 25McQuarters / 44Bradshaw/ 87 Hixon
KR 44Bradshaw / 87 Hixon/ 34Ward
LS 51 DeOssie / 93Alford
* Rookie
COWBOYS GAME PROFILE RAMS
4-2-0 Season record 1-4-0
2-4-0 Season record vs. spread 1-4-0
2-1-0 Road/home record 0-2-0
2-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 0-2-0
2-1-0 Record on artificial turf 0-3-0
0-3-0 Record on artificial turf vs. spread 0-3-0
COWBOYS
AT
RAMS
COWBOYS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Dallas
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Cleveland (-6) 28-10
Sept. 15 Philadelphia (-6.5) 41-37
Sept. 21 At Green Bay (-3) 27-16
Sept. 28 Washington (-10) 24-26
Oct. 5 Cincinnati (-16) 31-22
Oct. 12 At Arizona (-5) 24-30*
Oct. 19 At St. Louis
Oct. 26 Tampa Bay
Nov. 2 At NewYork Giants
Nov. 9 BYE
Nov. 16 At Washington
Nov. 23 San Francisco
Nov. 27 Seattle
Dec. 7 At Pittsburgh
Dec. 14 NewYork Giants
Dec. 20 Baltimore
Dec. 28 At Philadelphia
* Overtime
COWBOYS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 81 Owens / 17 Hurd/ 19Austin
OLT 76Adams / 68Free
OLG 63Kosier / 64Holland
C 65Gurode / 71 Procter
ORG 70L. Davis / 67 Berger
ORT 75Colombo / 77 McQuistan
TE 82Witten/ 80Bennett* / 89Curtis
WR 84Crayton/ 86Stanback
QB 9Romo / 14B. Johnson/ 5Bollinger
RB 24Barber / 28F. Jones* / 29Choice*
FB 34Anderson
DEFENSE
DLE 96Spears / 97 Hatcher
NT 90Ratliff / 66T. Johnson
DRE 99Canty / 72Bowen
LOLB 98Ellis / 93Spencer
LILB 56James / 54Carpenter / 50Rogers
RILB 55Thomas / 57 Burnett
ROLB 94Ware / 53Walden*
LCB 21 A. Jones / 31 Jenkins* / 41 Newman
RCB 42Henry / 32Scandrick* / 20Ball
SS 29K. Davis / 27 Brown/ 38Williams
FS 26Hamlin/ 25Watkins
SPECIALISTS
P 1 McBriar
PK 6Folk
H 14B. Johnson/ 1 McBriar
PR 21 A. Jones / 84Crayton
KR 28F. Jones* / 26Scandrick / 19Austin
LS 91 LaDouceur
* Rookie
OVERVIEWThe Cowboys lost their second straight game, suf-
fering a blocked punt for a touchdown in overtime against the
Cardinals after they had erased a 10-point deficit with less
than three minutes left in regulation. The Rams won a dra-
matic game in Jim Hasletts first game as head coach, stun-
ning the Redskins in Washington with a last-second field goal.
MATCHUP TO WATCH QB Tony Romo was battered against
the Cardinals, but he could have a field day against the Rams.
They are banged up at cornerback, starting Ricky Manning
and Jason Craft, and might have to face three- and four-WR
packages, as well as the Cowboys trying to get TE Jason Wit-
ten matched up with defensive backs. As tempting as it will be
to run the ball 40 times with Marion Barber and Felix Jones,
look for the Cowboys to explore some spread formations.
BYTHE NUMBERS The Rams snapped an eight-game losing
streak, despite not scoring an offensive TD. ... The Rams had
only 140 yards of offense before the game-winning drive. ...
Barber had a career-high 128 receiving yards last week.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 1 p.m. ET
RAMS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to St. Louis
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Philadelphia (+8.5) 3-38
Sept. 14 NewYork Giants (+8.5) 13-41
Sept. 21 At Seattle (+8.5) 13-37
Sept. 28 Buffalo (+8.5) 14-31
Oct. 5 BYE
Oct. 12 At Washington (+11.5) 19-17
Oct. 19 Dallas
Oct. 26 At New England
Nov. 2 Arizona
Nov. 9 At NewYork Jets
Nov. 16 At San Francisco
Nov. 23 Chicago
Nov. 30 Miami
Dec. 7 At Arizona
Dec. 14 Seattle
Dec. 21 San Francisco
Dec. 28 At Atlanta
RAMS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 81 Holt / 14Burton* / 82Hall / 19Stanley
OLT 76Pace / 73Goldberg
OLG 63Bell / 73Goldberg / 67 Schuening*
C 60Leckey / 65Romberg
ORG 68Incognito / 79Greco*
ORT 70Barron/ 79Greco*
TE 88Klopfenstein/ 87 Becht
WR 17Avery* / 89Looker / 83Bennett
QB 10Bulger / 12Green/ 13Berlin
RB 39Jackson/ 23Leonard/ 22Minor
FB 36Kreider / 23Leonard
DEFENSE
DLE 91 Little / 94Adeyanju
UT 90Carriker / 97 Glover
NT 95Ryan/ 90Carriker
DRE 72Long* / 96J. Hall / 92Moore
SLB 52Draft / 53Culberson
MLB 51 Witherspoon/ 52Draft / 55Stills
WLB 50Tinoisamoa / 57 Chamberlain*
LCB 31 Craft / 27 Manning / 26Hill
RCB 24Bartell / 20Wade
SS 25Chavous / 25Johnson
FS 21 Atogwe / 25Johnson
SPECIALISTS
P 5Jones
PK 2J. Brown
H 5Jones / 89Looker
PR 82D. Hall / 20Wade / 19Stanley
KR 82D. Hall / 89Looker / 19Stanley
LS 45Massey
* Rookie
25 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
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GAME PREVIEWS
WEEK SEVEN
LIONS GAME PROFILE TEXANS
0-5-0 Season record 1-4-0
1-4-0 Season record vs. spread 1-3-1
0-3-0 Road/home record 1-1-0
1-2-0 Road/home record vs. spread 0-1-1
0-1-0 Record on natural turf 1-4-0
0-1-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 1-3-1
LIONS
AT
TEXANS
LIONS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Detroit
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Atlanta (-3) 21-34
Sept. 14 Green Bay (+3) 25-48
Sept. 21 At San Francisco (+5) 13-31
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 Chicago (+3.5) 7-34
Oct. 12 At Minnesota (+13) 10-12
Oct. 19 At Houston
Oct. 26 Washington
Nov. 2 At Chicago
Nov. 9 Jacksonville
Nov. 16 At Carolina
Nov. 23 Tampa Bay
Nov. 27 Tennessee
Dec. 7 Minnesota
Dec. 14 At Indianapolis
Dec. 21 New Orleans
Dec. 28 At Green Bay
LIONS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 11 R. Williams / 84McDonald
OLT 76Backus / 74Cook
OLG 64Mulitalo
C 51 Raiola / 67 McCollum
ORG 63Ramirez / 66Peterman
ORT 77 Cherilus* / 72Foster
TE 86Gaines / 82FitzSimmons / 83Owens
WR 81 C. Johnson/ 87 Furrey
QB 8Kitna / 6Orlovsky / 5Stanton
RB 34Kev. Smith* / 32R. Johnson/ 33Thomas
FB 45Felton*
DEFENSE
DLE 95DeVries / 97Alama-Francis
NT 91 Darby / 75Cody / 98Cohen*
UT 78Redding / 79Moore / 96Fluellen*
DRE 99White / 93C. Smith/ 92Avril
SLB 59Lewis / 55Nece
MLB 53Lenon/ 57 Dizon*
WLB 50Sims / 54Gardner
LCB 21 Fisher / 25Kelly
RCB 30Bodden/ 23Kei. Smith/ 38Robinson
SS 26D. Smith/ 42Alexander
FS 27 Bullocks / 32Pearson
SPECIALISTS
P 2Harris
PK 4Hanson
H 2Harris
PR 87 Furrey / 84McDonald
KR 10Middleton/ 87 Furrey / 33Thomas
LS 48Muhlbach
* Rookie
OVERVIEWDespite their best effort of the season, the Lions
remain winless following a tough defeat at Minnesota. And de-
spite another shaky, mistake-filled game, the Texans won their
first game of the season in dramatic fashion, beating the Dol-
phins in the final moments.
MATCHUPS TO WATCH The left tackles could have their
work cut out for them. Texans rookie OLT Duane Brown has
been up and down this season and had a few shaky moments
against good pass rushers. Lions DRE Dewayne White, the
best of the front four, led an improved pass rush last week with
one of the five sacks against the Vikings. When Texans QB
Matt Schaub is under pressure, hes prone to big mistakes, but
when he has time, he can make poor defenses such as the
Lions pay. Also watch Texans DE Mario Williams, who has
been almost unblockable, against Lions OLTJeff Backus, who
usually needs help against premier pass rushers.
BYTHE NUMBERS The Lions have lost six straight and are 1-
12 in their last 13 games.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 4:05 p.m. ET
26 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
TEXANS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Houston
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Pittsburgh (+6.5) 17-38
Sept. 14 BYE
Sept. 21 At Tennessee (+5) 12-31
Sept. 28 At Jacksonville (+7) 27-30*
Oct. 5 Indianapolis (+4) 27-31
Oct. 12 Miami (-3) 29-28
Oct. 19 Detroit
Oct. 26 Cincinnati
Nov. 2 At Minnesota
Nov. 9 Baltimore
Nov. 16 At Indianapolis
Nov. 23 At Cleveland
Dec. 1 Jacksonville
Dec. 7 At Green Bay
Dec. 14 Tennessee
Dec. 21 At Oakland
Dec. 28 Chicago
* Overtime
TEXANS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 80A. Johnson/ 11 Davis
OLT 76D. Brown* / 74Salaam
OLG 69Pitts / 64Studdard
C 55Myers / 63White / 65Brisiel
ORG 65Brisiel / 63White
ORT 73Winston/ 78Butler
TE 81 Daniels / 87 Bruener / 85Dreessen
WR 83Walter / 12Jones / 89Anderson
QB 8Schaub/ 18Rosenfels
RB 20Slaton* / 30Green /37Walker / 27Taylor
FB 44Leach/ 33Sapp
DEFENSE
DLE 98Weaver / 94Kalu/ 96Cochran
DLT 91 Okoye / 66De. Robinson
DRT 99T. Johnson/ 92Zgonina / 97 Okam*
DRE 90Williams / 93Bulman
SLB 54Diles / 51 Thompson
MLB 59Ryans / 57 Bentley
WLB 56Greenwood/ 52Adibi*
LCB 32Bennett / 38Faggins / 28Molden*
RCB 35Reeves / 38Faggins / 26Wilson
SS 31 Harrison/ 34Barber*
FS 47 Demps / 25Ferguson/ 26Wilson
SPECIALISTS
P 1 Turk
PK 3K. Brown
H 1 Turk / 18Rosenfels
PR 12Jones / 89Anderson/ 20Slaton*
KR 11 Davis / 20Slaton*
LS 48Pittman
* Rookie
COLTS GAME PROFILE PACKERS
3-2-0 Season record 3-3-0
2-2-1 Season record vs. spread 3-3-0
2-0-0 Road/home record 1-2-0
1-0-1 Road/home record vs. spread 1-2-0
1-0-0 Record on natural turf 1-3-0
0-0-1 Record on natural turf vs. spread 1-3-0
COLTS
AT
PACKERS
COLTS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Indianapolis
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Chicago (-10.5) 13-29
Sept. 14 At Minnesota (-1.5) 18-15
Sept. 21 Jacksonville (-4.5) 21-23
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 At Houston (-4) 31-27
Oct. 12 Baltimore (-4) 31-3
Oct. 19 At Green Bay
Oct. 27 At Tennessee
Nov. 2 New England
Nov. 9 At Pittsburgh
Nov. 16 Houston
Nov. 23 At San Diego
Nov. 30 At Cleveland
Dec. 7 Cincinnati
Dec. 14 Detroit
Dec. 18 At Jacksonville
Dec. 28 Tennessee
COLTS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 87Wayne / 11 Gonzalez / 85Garcon*
OLT 67 Ugoh/ 76Federkeil
OLG 74Ch. Johnson/ 61 Richard*
C 63Saturday / 53Justice*
ORG 76Federkeil / 78Pollak*
ORT 71 Diem/ 72Hilliard
TE 44Clark / 47 Robinson
WR 88Harrison/ 83Hall
QB 18Manning / 12Sorgi
RB 29Addai / 38Rhodes / 32Hart*
TE 84Tamme* / 86Santi*
DEFENSE
DLE 79Brock / 91 Thomas / 94Cu. Johnson*
DLT 68Foster* / 95Reid
DRT 96Dawson/ 90Muir / 99Ramsey
DRE 93Freeney / 98Mathis / 92Howard*
SLB 55Session/ 50Wheeler*
MLB 58Brackett / 52Davis
WLB 54Keiaho / 51 Senn*
LCB 26Hayden/ 20Hughes
RCB 28Jackson/ 23Jennings
SS 33Bullitt / 43Giordano / 40Silva*
FS 41 Bethea / 21 Sanders
SPECIALISTS
P 17 Smith
PK 4Vinatieri
H 17 Smith
PR 30Forsett*
KR 30Forsett*
LS 48Snow
* Rookie
OVERVIEWPoints should be plentiful at Lambeau Field, as
both clubs are spearheaded by potent offenses starting to find
their groove, and anchored by defenses that havent upheld
their end of the bargain. The Colts are feeling particularly spry
after disposing of the Ravens, piling up 31 points against what
had been the leagues best defense. It was Indys first victory
not requiring a dramatic, come-from-behind effort. The Pack-
ers regained at least a modicum of their swagger in Seattle
and, courtesy of Chicagos last-second loss in Atlanta, find
themselves in a three-way tie atop the NFC North standings.
MATCHUP TO WATCH Packers WRs Donald Driver and Greg
Jennings are dangerous on slants that have become a con-
stant in Green Bays offense. However, those timing routes
could be hindered by the success of the Colts physical cor-
ners in jamming the wideouts at the line.
BYTHE NUMBERS Last Sunday marked the first time this
season that Aaron Rodgers and Peyton Manning tossed multi-
ple TD passes without an interception during the same week.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 4:15 p.m. ET
PACKERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Green Bay
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 8 Minnesota (-2.5) 24-19
Sept. 14 At Detroit (-3) 48-25
Sept. 21 Dallas (+3) 16-27
Sept. 28 At Tampa Bay (+2) 21-30
Oct. 5 Atlanta (-5.5) 24-27
Oct. 12 At Seattle (0) 27-17
Oct. 19 Indianapolis
Oct. 26 BYE
Nov. 2 At Tennessee
Nov. 9 At Minnesota
Nov. 16 Chicago
Nov. 24 At New Orleans
Nov. 30 Carolina
Dec. 7 Houston
Dec. 14 At Jacksonville
Dec. 22 At Chicago
Dec. 28 Detroit
PACKERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 85Jennings / 82Martin
OLT 76Clifton/ 73Colledge
OLG 73Colledge / 78Barbre
C 63Wells / 72Spitz
ORG 72Spitz / 71 Sitton*
ORT 65Tauscher / 75Moll / 68Giacomini*
TE 86D. Lee / 84Humphrey / 88Finley*
WR 80Driver / 89Jones / 87 Nelson*
QB 12Rodgers / 10Flynn* / 11 Brohm
RB 25Grant / 32Jackson/ 42Wynn
FB 35Hall / 30Kuhn
DEFENSE
DLE 74Kampman/ 99Thompson* / 93Pettway
DLT 79Pickett / 90Cole
DRT 97Jolly / 77Jenkins
DRE 96Montgomery / 94Gbaja-Biamila / 57 Hunter
SLB 51 Poppinga / 54Chillar / 58Lansanah*
MLB 56Barnett / 55Bishop
WLB 50Hawk / 54Chillar
LCB 21 Woodson/ 27 Blackmon/ 22P. Lee*
RCB 38Williams / 24Bush/ 31 Harris
SS 20Bigby / 37 Rouse
FS 36Collins / 26Peprah
SPECIALISTS
P 6Frost
PK 2Crosby
H 6Frost / 10Flynn* / 82Martin
PR 27 Blackmon/ 38Williams / 87 Nelson*
KR 27 Blackmon/ 87 Nelson* / 38Williams
LS 61 Goode* / 75Moll / 97Jolly
* Rookie
JETS GAME PROFILE RAIDERS
3-2-0 Season record 1-4-0
3-2-0 Season record vs. spread 2-3-0
1-1-0 Road/home record 0-2-0
1-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 0-2-0
1-1-0 Record on natural turf 1-2-0
1-1-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 1-2-0
JETS
AT
RAIDERS
JETS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to NewYork
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Miami (-3) 20-14
Sept. 14 New England (+1) 10-19
Sept. 22 At San Diego (+8) 29-48
Sept. 28 Arizona (-1) 56-35
Oct. 5 BYE
Oct. 12 Cincinnati (-9.5) 26-14
Oct. 19 At Oakland
Oct. 26 Kansas City
Nov. 2 At Buffalo
Nov. 9 St. Louis
Nov. 13 At New England
Nov. 23 At Tennessee
Nov. 30 Denver
Dec. 7 At San Francisco
Dec. 14 Buffalo
Dec. 21 At Seattle
Dec. 28 Miami
JETS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 87 Coles / 16B. Smith/ 15Wright
OLT 60Ferguson/ 78Hunter
OLG 66Faneca / 68Montgomery
C 74Mangold/ 75Turner
ORG 65Moore / 75Turner
ORT 67Woody / 78Hunter
TE 86Baker / 88Franks
WR 89Cotchery / 83Stuckey / 14Henry
QB 4Favre / 11 Clemens / 5Ratliff
RB 20Jones / 29Washington/ 22Chatman
TE 81 Keller* / 88Franks
DEFENSE
DLE 92Ellis / 70DeVito
NT 77Jenkins / 91 Pouha
DRE 93K. Coleman/ 69Mosley / 98Brown
LOLB 99Thomas / 56Gholston*
LILB 50Barton/ 96Bowens
RILB 52Harris / 53Spencer
ROLB 97 Pace / 94Murrell
LCB 24Revis / 31 Poteat / 30D. Coleman
RCB 34Lowery* / 21 Miller / 31 Carroll
SS 27 Elam/ 36Barrett
FS 25Rhodes / 27 Elam
SPECIALISTS
P 6Hodges
PK 3Feely / 1 Nugent
H 6Hodges
PR 29Washington/ 34Lowery*
KR 29Washington/ 21 Miller
LS 85Dearth
* Rookie
OVERVIEWAnew team leader led to even worse results as
the Raiders, who had been competitive in their last two losses,
both under Lane Kiffin, were completely dominated in a 34-3
blowout loss at New Orleans last week in Tom Cables debut as
head coach. The Jets have defeated the Raiders the last three
times the teams have played.
MATCHUP TO WATCH Raiders QB JaMarcus Russell is com-
ing off his worst performance of the season (13-of-35 passing
with one interception), and he could be in for another ugly
showing on Sunday. The Jets mix up their coverages quite a
bit, which should present Russell, in just his seventh career
start, with some confusing reads as he sets up under center.
Russell has been sloppy recently, throwing picks in each of the
past two games.
BYTHE NUMBERS No Raiders wide receiver has more than
six receptions this season. In contrast, Jets WRs Jerricho
Cotchery and Laveranues Coles had eight catches apiece in
last weeks game, giving both 26 catches on the season.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 4:15 p.m. ET
RAIDERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Oakland
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 8 Denver (+3) 14-41
Sept. 14 At Kansas City (+3.5) 23-8
Sept. 21 At Buffalo (+10) 23-24
Sept. 28 San Diego (+8.5) 18-28
Oct. 5 BYE
Oct. 12 At New Orleans (+7) 3-34
Oct. 19 NewYork Jets
Oct. 26 At Baltimore
Nov. 2 Atlanta
Nov. 9 Carolina
Nov. 16 At Miami
Nov. 23 At Denver
Nov. 30 Kansas City
Dec. 4 At San Diego
Dec. 14 New England
Dec. 21 Houston
Dec. 28 At Tampa Bay
RAIDERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 17Walker / 15Higgins
OLT 77 Harris / 75Henderson
OLG 76Gallery
C 64Grove / 71 Wade / 51 Morris
ORG 66Carlisle / 78Wakefield
ORT 74Green/ 72Wand
TE 80Miller / 86Stewart / 88Troupe
WR 89Curry / 87 Lelie / 19Watkins
QB 2Russell / 16Walter / 8Tuiasosopo
RB 20McFadden* / 25Fargas / 29Bush
FB 36Griffith / 44Lawton
DEFENSE
DLE 56Burgess / 91 Scott*
DLT 93Kelly / 90Sands
DRT 61 Warren/ 90Sands
DRE 98Richardson/ 58Edwards
SLB 57 Brown/ 54Williams
MLB 52Morrison
WLB 53Howard/ 55Alston
LCB 21 Asomugha / 37Johnson
RCB 23Hall / 26Routt
SS 28Wilson/ 33Branch*
FS 24Huff / 31 Eugene
SPECIALISTS
P 9Lechler
PK 11 Janikowski
H 9Lechler
PR 15Higgins
KR 15Higgins / 37Johnson
LS 59Condo
* Rookie
GAME PREVIEWS
WEEK SEVEN
BROWNS GAME PROFILE REDSKINS
1-3-0 Season record 4-2-0
2-2-0 Season record vs. spread 4-2-0
1-1-0 Road/home record 2-1-0
1-1-0 Road/home record vs. spread 2-1-0
0-2-0 Record on natural turf 3-1-0
1-1-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 3-1-0
BROWNS
AT
REDSKINS
BROWNS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Cleveland
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 Dallas (+6) 10-28
Sept. 14 Pittsburgh (+7) 6-10
Sept. 21 At Baltimore (+2.5) 10-28
Sept. 28 At Cincinnati (+1) 20-12
Oct. 5 BYE
Oct. 13 NewYork Giants
Oct. 19 At Washington
Oct. 26 At Jacksonville
Nov. 2 Baltimore
Nov. 6 Denver
Nov. 17 At Buffalo
Nov. 23 Houston
Nov. 30 Indianapolis
Dec. 7 At Tennessee
Dec. 15 At Philadelphia
Dec. 21 Cincinnati
Dec. 28 At Pittsburgh
BROWNS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 17 Edwards / 12Steptoe / 83Sanders
OLT 73Thomas / 77 Shaffer
OLG 65Steinbach/ 79Young
C 66Fraley / 68McKinney
ORG 70Hadnot / 72Tucker
ORT 77 Shaffer / 72Tucker / 61 Sowells
TE 80Winslow/ 82Heiden/ 87 Dinkins / 86Rucker*
WR 18Stallworth/ 16Cribbs
QB 3Anderson/ 10Quinn/ 11 Dorsey
RB 31 Lewis / 29Wright / 35Harrison
FB 47Vickers / 41 Ali
DEFENSE
DLE 99C. Williams / 93Leonard
NT 92Rogers / 91 S. Smith/ 71 Rubin*
DRE 91 S. Smith/ 97 S. Thomas
LOLB 55McGinest / 96Hall*/ 51 Orr
LILB 54Davis / 94L. Williams / 58Bell*
RILB 52Jackson/ 53Griffin
ROLB 95Wimbley / 96Hall*
LCB 24Wright / 25Cousin
RCB 22McDonald/ 23Daniels / 30Lawson*
SS 20Adams / 27 Sorensen/ 26Jones
FS 21 Pool / 20Adams
SPECIALISTS
P 15Zastudil
PK 4Dawson
H 15Zastudil
PR 16Cribbs / 12Steptoe / 22McDonald
KR 16Cribbs / 29Wright / 35Harrison
LS 64Pontbriand
* Rookie
OVERVIEW Prohibitive favorites vs. St. Louis, the Redskins
could not hold a late lead vs. the struggling Rams and fell 19-17.
Whether it was simply a case of the Redskins letting down
after wins at Dallas and Philadelphia, Washington must quickly
regroup as it prepares to play Cleveland, which played Monday
night vs. the Giants.
MATCHUP TO WATCH Redskins RB Clinton Portis has played
exceptionally well the past three weeks, racking up 71-395-3.
Whats more, he has carried at least 21 times in each of those
games, and he has piled up at least five yards per carry in all
three contests. Portis has had a lot of success running left be-
hind OLG Pete Kendall, so it falls on Browns DRE Shaun Smith
and ROLB Kamerion Wimbley to be strong at the point of at-
tack. Teams have generally pounded away at the Browns with
the running game this season.
BYTHE NUMBERS Portis hasnt fumbled in 136 carries in
08. Cleveland has won a road game vs. an NFC opponent in
each of Romeo Crennels previous three seasons as coach.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 4:15 p.m. ET
REDSKINS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Washington
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 4 At NewYork Giants (+5) 7-16
Sept. 14 New Orleans (0) 29-24
Sept. 21 Arizona (-3) 24-17
Sept. 28 At Dallas (+10) 26-24
Oct. 5 At Philadelphia (+6.5) 23-17
Oct. 12 St. Louis (-11.5) 17-19
Oct. 19 Cleveland
Oct. 26 At Detroit
Nov. 3 Pittsburgh
Nov. 9 BYE
Nov. 16 Dallas
Nov. 23 At Seattle
Nov. 30 NewYork Giants
Dec. 7 At Baltimore
Dec. 14 At Cincinnati
Dec. 21 Philadelphia
Dec. 28 At San Francisco
REDSKINS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 89Moss / 83Thrash/ 12Kelly*
OLT 60Samuels / 75Rinehart*
OLG 66Kendall / 76Jansen
C 61 Rabach/ 68Geisinger
ORG 77Thomas / 69Fabini
ORT 76Jansen/ 74Heyer
TE 47 Cooley / 86Davis*
WR 82Randle El / 11 Thomas*
QB 17J. Campbell / 15Collins / 5Brennan*
RB 26Portis / 46Betts / 31 Cartwright
FB 45Sellers
DEFENSE
DLE 92Evans / 95Wilson/ 78James / 55Taylor
DLT 96Griffin/ 79Alexander
DRT 64Golston/ 94Montgomery
DRE 99Carter / 98Jackson*
SLB 53Washington/ 51 Fincher
MLB 59Fletcher / 54Blades
WLB 52McIntosh/ 50K. Campbell
LCB 24Springs / 29Torrence
RCB 22Rogers / 27 Smoot / 20Tryon*
SS 48Horton* / 37 Doughty / 39Fox
FS 30Landry / 41 Moore*
SPECIALISTS
P 14Brooks*
PK 6Suisham
H 14Brooks*
PR 82Randle El / 83Thrash/ 89Moss
KR 31 Cartwright / 83Thrash/ 46Betts
LS 67Albright
* Rookie
SEAHAWKS GAME PROFILE BUCCANEERS
1-4-0 Season record 4-2-0
1-4-0 Season record vs. spread 5-1-0
0-2-0 Road/home record 3-0-0
0-2-0 Road/home record vs. spread 3-0-0
0-0-0 Record on natural turf 4-1-0
0-0-0 Record on natural turf vs. spread 5-0-0
SEAHAWKS
AT
BUCCANEERS
SEAHAWKS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Seattle
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At Buffalo (+1.5) 10-34
Sept. 14 San Francisco (-6) 30-33*
Sept. 21 St. Louis (-8.5) 37-13
Sept. 28 BYE
Oct. 5 At NewYork Giants (+7) 6-44
Oct. 12 Green Bay (0) 17-27
Oct. 19 At Tampa Bay
Oct. 26 At San Francisco
Nov. 2 Philadelphia
Nov. 9 At Miami
Nov. 16 Arizona
Nov. 23 Washington
Nov. 27 At Dallas
Dec. 7 New England
Dec. 14 At St. Louis
Dec. 21 NewYork Jets
Dec. 28 At Arizona
* Overtime
SEAHAWKS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 18Robinson / 17 McMullen/ 13Colbert
OLT 71 W. Jones / 75Locklear
OLG 68Wahle / 66Wrotto
C 65Spencer / 69Vallos
ORG 77Womack / 66Wrotto
ORT 75Locklear / 74Willis
TE 89Carlson* / 85Heller / 88Putzier
WR 84Engram/ 16Bumpus * / 82 Kent
QB 8Hasselbeck / 15S. Wallace / 5Frye
RB 22J. Jones / 20Morris / 45Duckett
FB 43Weaver / 35Schmitt*
DEFENSE
DLE 97 Kerney / 59Atkins
DLT 92Mebane / 94Green/ 79Bryant*
DRT 99Bernard/ 93Terrill
DRE 95Jackson* / 55Tapp
OLB 56Hill / 58Lewis / 50Laury
MLB 51 Tatupu/ 58Lewis / 59Hawthorne*
OLB 98Peterson/ 58Lewis
LCB 23Trufant / 32Hobbs
RCB 26Wilson/ 21 Jennings
SS 24Grant / 27 Babineaux
FS 25Russell / 39C.J. Wallace
SPECIALISTS
P 9Ryan
PK 10Mare / 7 Coutu*
H 9Ryan/ 8Hasselbeck
PR 16Bumpus
KR 26Wilson/ 42Duckett
LS 49Robinson
* Rookie
OVERVIEWWith third-stringer Charlie Frye replacing the in-
jured Matt Hasselbeck under center, the Seahawks offense
managed only 177 yards in a 27-17 loss at home to the Packers,
which dropped their record to 1-4. Jeff Garcia, replacing the in-
jured Brian Griese, earned himself a second straight start with
an efficient, error-free outing in the Bucs 27-3 victory over the
division-rival Panthers, which moved their record to 4-2. Has-
selbeck, who was a late scratch in the Packers game with a
knee injury, will probably return as the starter (check status).
MATCHUP TO WATCH Buccaneers RB Warrick Dunn (22-115
vs. Carolina) vs. a Seahawks run defense that allowed 254
yards on the ground in its last road game. Dunn had 70 yards
rushing (5.8 yards per carry) vs. Seattle in the regular-season
finale last season as a member of the Falcons.
BYTHE NUMBERS The Seahawks have failed to force a
turnover in their last four road games. Bucs head coach Jon
Gruden has made 12 in-season starting QB changes since the
start of the 2004 season.
Sunday, Oct. 19, 2008 8:15 p.m. ET
BUCCANEERS SCHEDULE
Point spread refers to Tampa Bay
DATE OPPONENT SPREAD SCORE
Sept. 7 At New Orleans (+3) 20-24
Sept. 14 Atlanta (-7) 24-9
Sept. 21 At Chicago (+3) 27-24*
Sept. 28 Green Bay (-2) 30-21
Oct. 5 At Denver (+4) 13-16
Oct. 12 Carolina (-2) 27-3
Oct. 19 Seattle
Oct. 26 At Dallas
Nov. 2 At Kansas City
Nov. 9 BYE
Nov. 16 Minnesota
Nov. 23 At Detroit
Nov. 30 New Orleans
Dec. 8 At Carolina
Dec. 14 At Atlanta
Dec. 21 San Diego
Dec. 28 Oakland
* Overtime
BUCCANEERS DEPTH CHART
OFFENSE
WR 84Galloway / 85Stovall / 10D. Jackson*
OLT 70Penn/ 69A. Davis
OLG 78Sears
C 52Faine / 79Mahan
ORG 75Joseph/ 76Zuttah*
ORT 65Trueblood/ 79Lee
TE 81 Smith/ 88Gilmore / 86Stevens
WR 89A. Bryant / 19Hilliard/ 80Clayton
QB 7 Garcia / 8Griese / 12McCown
RB 34Graham/ 28Dunn/ 29Bennett
FB 35Askew/ 44Storer
DEFENSE
DLE 93Carter / 91 White
DLT 95Hovan/ 96Peterson
DRT 71 Haye / 98Sims
DRE 90Adams / 97Wilkerson
SLB 59June / 58Black
MLB 51 Ruud/ 57 Hayward/ 41 McCoy
WLB 55Brooks / 54Hayes*
LCB 31 Buchanon/ 25Talib*
RCB 20Barber / 43Mack*
SS 23Phillips / 21 Piscitelli
FS 36T. Jackson/ 26Allen
SPECIALISTS
P 9Bidwell
PK 3M. Bryant
H 9Bidwell
PR 10D. Jackson* / 19Hilliard
KR 10D. Jackson*
LS 48Economos
* Rookie
27 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
PRO
PROSPECTS
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NFL STANDINGS
WEEK SIX
EAST W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Buffalo 4 1 0 .800 126 104 0 0 0 2 0 0
New England 3 2 0 .600 89 109 1 1 0 2 2 0
New York Jets 3 2 0 .600 141 130 1 1 0 2 2 0
Miami 2 3 0 .400 107 103 1 1 0 2 2 0
NORTH W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Pittsburgh 4 1 0 .800 103 79 2 0 0 4 0 0
Baltimore 2 3 0 .400 78 87 2 1 0 2 3 0
Cleveland* 1 3 0 .250 46 78 1 2 0 1 2 0
Cincinnati 0 6 0 .000 88 144 0 2 0 0 4 0
SOUTH W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Tennessee 5 0 0 1.000 115 56 2 0 0 4 0 0
Indianapolis 3 2 0 .600 114 97 1 1 0 2 1 0
Jacksonville 3 3 0 .500 124 128 2 1 0 3 3 0
Houston 1 4 0 .200 112 158 0 3 0 1 4 0
WEST W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Denver 4 2 0 .667 166 154 2 1 0 2 2 0
San Diego 3 3 0 .500 178 139 1 1 0 3 2 0
Kansas City 1 4 0 .200 65 131 1 1 0 1 2 0
Oakland 1 4 0 .200 81 135 1 2 0 1 3 0
* Monday-night game not included
EAST W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
New York Giants* 4 0 0 1.000 127 49 1 0 0 3 0 0
Washington 4 2 0 .667 126 117 2 1 0 4 2 0
Dallas 4 2 0 .667 175 141 1 1 0 2 2 0
Philadelphia 3 3 0 .500 167 123 0 2 0 2 3 0
NORTH W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Green Bay 3 3 0 .500 160 145 2 0 0 3 3 0
Minnesota 3 3 0 .500 113 119 1 1 0 3 1 0
Chicago 3 3 0 .500 148 109 1 0 0 2 3 0
Detroit 0 5 0 .000 76 159 0 3 0 0 5 0
SOUTH W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Tampa Bay 4 2 0 .667 141 97 2 1 0 4 1 0
Carolina 4 2 0 .667 117 97 1 1 0 2 2 0
Atlanta 4 2 0 .667 139 127 0 2 0 3 2 0
New Orleans 3 3 0 .500 172 133 1 0 0 2 2 0
WEST W L T PCT PF PA DIVISION CONF
Arizona 4 2 0 .667 177 144 1 0 0 2 1 0
San Francisco 2 4 0 .333 141 167 1 1 0 2 3 0
Seattle 1 4 0 .200 100 151 1 1 0 1 3 0
St. Louis 1 4 0 .200 62 164 0 1 0 1 3 0
* Monday-night game not included
NFC AFC
WEEK SIX RESULTS
Atlanta 22, Chicago 20
Houston 29, Miami 28
Indianapolis 31, Baltimore 3
Minnesota 12, Detroit 10
New Orleans 34, Oakland 3
New York Jets 26, Cincinnati 14
Tampa Bay 27, Carolina 3
St. Louis 19, Washington 17
Arizona 30, Dallas 24 (OT)
Jacksonville 24, Denver 17
Philadelphia 40, San Francisco 26
Green Bay 27, Seattle 17
San Diego 30, New England 10
New York Giants at Cleveland (Mon.)
Bye: Buffalo, Kansas City,
Pittsburgh, Tennessee
WEEK SEVEN MATCHUPS
ALLTIMES EASTERN
Baltimore at Miami, 1:00 p.m.
Dallas at St. Louis, 1:00 p.m.
Minnesota at Chicago, 1:00 p.m.
New Orleans at Carolina, 1:00 p.m.
Pittsburgh at Cincinnati, 1:00 p.m.
San Diego at Buffalo, 1:00 p.m.
San Francisco at New York Giants, 1:00 p.m.
Tennessee at Kansas City, 1:00 p.m.
Detroit at Houston, 4:05 p.m.
Cleveland at Washington, 4:15 p.m.
Indianapolis at Green Bay, 4:15 p.m.
New York Jets at Oakland, 4:15 p.m.
Seattle at Tampa Bay, 8:15 p.m.
Denver at New England, 8:30 p.m. (Mon.)
Bye: Arizona, Atlanta, Jacksonville,
Philadelphia
LINE OF THE WEEK OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE WEEK
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK TEAM ON THE DECLINE
Matt Ryan QB Atlanta Falcons
Move over, Virginia Tech. Matt Ryan might have a new signature comeback on his
rsum. The Bears appeared to have stolen a win in Atlanta when they took a 20-19
lead with 11 seconds remaining, but Ryan and the offense got the ball back on their
own 44-yard line. He calmly hit Roddy White with a perfect strike on the sideline, let-
ting White get out of bounds and leaving one second left on the clock. PKJason
Elam hit the game-winning, 48-yard field goal on the next play to put the surprising
Falcons in a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 4-2. Ryan wasnt sacked all day
against the Bears and completed 22-of-30 passes for 301 yards and a fourth-quar-
ter TD to White that gave the Falcons a 19-10 lead.
Kevin Williams DT Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings trailed the Lions late, fans were chanting Fire Childress and things
didnt look good. It was then that Vikings DT Kevin Williams threw his teammates on
his back. Williams made four sacks three in the second half and eight tackles in
the Vikings narrow win. He started the comeback with a big stop on Lions FB
Jerome Felton on 3rd-and-1 from the Vikings 44-yard line. The Vikings scored on the
next possession, and when the defense got back on the field, Williams responded
with a tackle of Lions RB Rudi Johnson in the backfield and a sack of QB Dan
Orlovsky in a three-play stretch. The Lions again drove into Vikings territory with
eight minutes left, but he made another big sack on third down to snuff them out.
Sean Morey WR Arizona Cardinals
Sean Morey is listed as a receiver, but he has made a career of being a special-
teamer. Playing for four teams in his eight seasons, Morey is used to a life of not re-
ceiving much in the way of praise for his coverage-team and return-team prowess.
That changed when Morey who had been having a productive day already with
three special-teams tackles and a kick return on a pooch kick stormed in on Cow-
boys P Mat McBriars punt in overtime and got his hands on it for a clean block,
which Monty Beisel returned three yards for a touchdown. It was the first time an
NFL game had ended on a blocked punt, and the irony is that the Cardinals were not
trying to block the punt. But guys like Morey are paid to make heady plays like that.
Drew Brees QB New Orleans Saints
Brees couldnt miss early on vs. the Raiders, completing
his first 16 passes one short of his franchise record and
two of his four incompletions were throwaways. After the
game, Oakland raved about his ability to spread the ball
around and not lock in on any one target. Brees fired com-
pletions to two wide receivers, three tight ends and four run-
ning backs.
OPPONENT CMP. ATT. YDS. TD INT
Raiders 26 30 320 3 0
After a strong 2-1 start, the 49ers have lost three in a row,
and its likely to become four after a matchup with the unde-
feated Giants in Week Seven. In its latest debacle, San Fran-
cisco unraveled, blowing a nine-point fourth-quarter lead to
the Eagles. Philadelphia scored 23 points in the fourth quar-
ter and held the sputtering 49ers offense to minus-2 yards
in that span. There were positive moments in the loss, like a
blocked field goal for a TD, but its the mistakes that stick
out. J.T. OSullivan threw two INTs, and hes tossed seven in
the last three games after throwing just one in the first three.
San Francisco 49ers
TEAM ON THE RISE
The long-awaited changing of the guard in the NFC West
may finally be here. While Seattle, who has been the division
champ for four straight seasons, deteriorates, the Cardinals
are pulling away from the pack after a wild 30-24 win in over-
time against Dallas. After blowing a 10-point lead in the final
three minutes, Arizona became the first team in league his-
tory to start a game with a kickoff return for a TD and end it
with a blocked punt in OT for a TD. Arizona gets to soak up
the good vibes during its bye before a very manageable
stretch against the Panthers, Rams, 49ers and Seahawks.
Arizona Cardinals
28 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
ASK THE EXPERTS
Tom Coughlin
DAN ARKUSH
Executive editor
H
as there ever been a de-
fending Super Bowl cham-
pionship team that received
as little respect entering the next
season as Coughlins Giants? De-
spite one of the most impressive
stretch runs in league history on
the road to last years stunning Su-
per Bowl upset victory over the Pa-
triots, predictions of a champi-
onship repeat were few and far be-
tween when the season started.
Coughlin quickly turned that lack
of respect into an extremely effec-
tive motivational tool, conve-
niently planting industrial-sized
chips on the shoulders of his
players, who have responded by
playing dominating football on
both sides of the ball so far this
season. The team has excelled
despite the fact two of the leagues
best defensive ends, Michael Stra-
han and Osi Umenyiora, retired
and suffered a season-ending in-
jury, respectively. Coughlin has
done a particularly masterful job
on the road, with his team win-
ning its last 12 games away from
home, including SB XLII, head-
ing into the Giants Week Six
Monday-nighter in Cleveland.
Who is your early candidate for Coach of the Year?
QUESTION:
T
O
M
B
E
R
G
Jim Zorn
ERIC EDHOLM
Senior editor
I
f you had told me that the Red-
skins would be 4-2 the
Week Six loss against the
Rams notwithstanding and
would have installed a new offen-
sive system with mostly excellent
results, I would have given up
making preseason predictions al-
together. Not that the Redskins
arent a talented team and not that
they didnt make the playoffs a
season ago, but I just didnt think
the rough early schedule would be
very kind to a team that was un-
dergoing a lot of changes, the
biggest of which was Jim Zorn. He
has three jobs with this team
head coach, offensive coordinator
and QB coach two of which he
has never done on any level before.
Getting road wins at Dallas and
Philadelphia will loom massive in
December. The Coach of the Year
award typically goes to the guy
who orchestrates the biggest turn-
around, but I believe Zorn, hav-
ing to replace a legendary figure
in Joe Gibbs, learning how to
coach and call games on the job
and getting Jason Campbell to
master the West Coast offense so
quickly, is just as deserving.
J
E
F
F
F
I
S
H
B
E
I
N
Jeff Fisher
MIKE WILKENING
Senior editor
G
ive Titans owner Bud
Adams credit. When the
Titans missed the playoffs in
2004 and 05 and won only 9-of-
32 games, he didnt panic and fire
Fisher. And things would soon get
better for the Titans. In 06, their
their young talent started to mesh,
and the Titans won 8-of-11 to
close out that season. The im-
provement continued in 07, as
Tennessee returned to the playoffs.
However, at the outset of this
season, Fisher was confronted
with a tough decision: QB Vince
Young was not developing as
hoped, and his struggles on and
off the field threatened to hurt the
team. But that didnt happen.
Fisher moved quickly to end any
discussion of a QB controversy,
naming Kerry Collins the starter
and indicating that Collins would
keep the job as long as the Titans
kept winning. Today, Tennessee is
5-0, and Young back from a
knee injury will watch and
learn from the bench. Fishers
deft handling of this situation
isnt the reason why the Titans are
unbeaten, but its precisely the way
a successful coach acts.
J
E
F
F
B
A
R
C
A
Tony Sparano
MATT SOHN
Associate editor
G
ive an assist to executive VP
of football operations Bill
Parcells, who has been far
more involved with the Dolphins
turnaround than hed care to ad-
mit. But its Sparano who had the
most daunting task of grinding
day-in, day-out to make the Dol-
phins, a team most figured was a
couple of seasons away from even
being competitive, a contender in
2008. It started in the preseason,
when Sparano uprooted the Mick-
ey Mouse offseason workout
schedule under Cam Cameron
in favor of physically taxing foot-
ball boot camp that most veterans
admitted was the hardest offsea-
son theyd ever endured. It was
during these sessions that Miami
forged the toughness that theyve
showed on the football field
through the first third of the sea-
son. Although woefully under-
staffed on the perimeter both
offensively and defensively
theyve consistently won the bat-
tle in the trenches, something
which the former O-line coach
takes pride in. Also, credit Spara-
no for having the guts to make the
Wildcat an offensive staple.
H
A
R
R
Y
S
C
U
L
L
,
J
R
.
Mike Smith
DAN PARR
Associate editor
I
guess all those young teams
that suffered through a few
miserable years of lopsided
losses and early elimination from
the playoffs had it wrong this is
what rebuilding is supposed to look
like. Smiths Falcons, who start
eight players with two years of ex-
perience or less, already have as
many wins (four) as they did in all
of 2007 and are wrapped up in a
three-way tie for first place in the
NFC South. Smith seems to know
exactly how much to ask of each
player and he puts them in posi-
tion to succeed. There was a lot of
attention paid to his decision to
start Matt Ryan in Week One. If
Smith, who never had been a head
coach at any level, had been more
timid, he might have decided to
put the rookies debut off until mid-
season or later that would have
been the safe route with a young
offensive line in front of him. In-
stead, he went with Ryan from the
start, which might be the best
decision of any head coach this
year. Smith and GM Thomas Dim-
itroff have orchestrated one of
the NFLs most impressive turn-
arounds in recent years.
H
A
R
R
Y
S
C
U
L
L
,
J
R
.
29 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
RUSHING
Player Team Att Yds Avg Lg TD
L. Johnson K.C. 93 417 4.5 65 3
Tomlinson S.D. 109 405 3.7 41 4
Johnson Ten. 85 381 4.5 51 2
Slaton Hou. 72 343 4.8 50 3
Brown Mia. 71 336 4.7 62 7
Jones N.Y.J. 84 319 3.8 16 3
Lynch Buff. 91 319 3.5 22 4
McFadden Oak. 59 302 5.1 50 1
Jones-Drew Jax. 65 301 4.6 46 5
Young Den. 47 266 5.7 49 1
L. McClain Balt. 65 264 4.1 17 4
Parker Pitt. 66 263 4.0 32 3
C. Perry Cin. 96 253 2.6 25 2
Taylor Jax. 72 242 3.4 34 0
J. Lewis Clev. 69 235 3.4 24 1
Williams Mia. 61 235 3.9 28 1
Pittman Den. 49 228 4.7 20 4
Addai Ind. 62 216 3.5 15 4
Bush Oak. 47 202 4.3 32 1
McGahee Balt. 58 188 3.2 16 1
Fargas Oak. 37 175 4.7 42 0
Morris N.E. 53 169 3.2 22 3
White Ten. 63 165 2.6 17 5
Hall Den. 32 144 4.5 16 0
Sproles S.D. 28 139 5.0 21 0
Jackson Buff. 30 134 4.5 22 1
Moore Pitt. 26 118 4.5 27 0
Green Hou. 25 116 4.6 14 0
Rice Balt. 34 108 3.2 11 0
Jordan N.E. 24 106 4.4 11 0
Rhodes Ind. 32 104 3.3 38 1
Garrard Jax. 30 102 3.4 13 1
Faulk N.E. 19 102 5.4 13 2
Charles K.C. 21 98 4.7 13 0
Maroney N.E. 28 93 3.3 17 0
L. WashingtonN.Y.J. 21 69 3.3 17 0
Cutler Den. 18 66 3.7 12 0
Fitzpatrick Cin. 10 64 6.4 13 1
Cassel N.E. 18 58 3.2 9 0
Mendenhall Pitt. 19 58 3.1 12 0
Schaub Hou. 14 55 3.9 10 2
Clayton Balt. 3 50 16.7 42 1
Flacco Balt. 17 50 2.9 38 1
M. Owens Jax. 1 41 41.0 41 1
Anderson Clev. 13 40 3.1 15 0
Thigpen K.C. 6 40 6.7 6 0
Palmer Cin. 6 38 6.3 15 0
Taylor Hou. 14 37 2.6 17 0
Benson Cin. 14 36 2.6 10 0
J. Wright Clev. 7 34 4.9 11 0
Tolbert S.D. 10 33 3.3 11 0
Watson Cin. 7 32 4.6 7 0
Collins Ten. 11 31 2.8 17 0
Roethlisberger Pitt. 11 28 2.5 17 0
B. Smith N.Y.J. 2 28 14.0 17 0
Russell Oak. 8 26 3.3 11 1
Russell Pitt. 6 25 4.2 15 0
Harrison Clev. 5 22 4.4 12 0
Evans Buff. 1 22 22.0 22 0
RECEIVING
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
Marshall Den. 43 521 12.1 35 3
Houshmandzadeh Cin. 38 400 10.5 26 3
Welker N.E. 36 324 9.0 26 0
A. Johnson Hou. 34 488 14.4 61 2
Wayne Ind. 33 468 14.2 40 4
M. Jones Jax. 30 338 11.3 33 1
Royal Den. 30 321 10.7 29 2
Mason Balt. 27 331 12.3 54 0
Bowe K.C. 27 324 12.0 30 2
Cotchery N.Y.J. 26 328 12.6 56 3
Coles N.Y.J. 26 318 12.2 54 4
Ward Pitt. 24 316 13.2 49 4
Stokley Den. 24 262 10.9 32 2
Daniels Hou. 23 308 13.4 34 0
Jackson S.D. 22 436 19.8 60 2
Walter Hou. 21 266 12.7 30 3
Camarillo Mia. 21 263 12.5 33 1
Gonzalez Ind. 21 258 12.3 58 0
Reed Buff. 21 237 11.3 24 0
Gonzalez K.C. 21 193 9.2 23 2
Jones-Drew Jax. 21 184 8.8 26 0
Moss N.E. 20 300 15.0 66 2
Gates S.D. 20 252 12.6 25 4
Harrison Ind. 20 247 12.4 67 3
Scaife Ten. 20 226 11.3 44 0
Ocho Cinco Cin. 19 216 11.4 19 1
Winslow Clev. 19 170 8.9 20 1
Tomlinson S.D. 18 124 6.9 28 0
Holmes Pitt. 17 271 15.9 48 1
Chatman Cin. 17 173 10.2 25 0
Slaton Hou. 17 103 6.1 30 1
Evans Buff. 16 432 27.0 87 2
Scheffler Den. 16 259 16.2 72 2
Miller Pitt. 16 175 10.9 21 1
Ginn Mia. 16 129 8.1 18 0
L. Washington N.Y.J. 16 98 6.1 15 0
Fasano Mia. 15 209 13.9 24 2
Lynch Buff. 15 91 6.1 17 0
Miller Oak. 14 199 14.2 63 1
Stuckey N.Y.J. 14 134 9.6 28 3
Jackson Buff. 14 125 8.9 33 0
R. Williams Jax. 14 120 8.6 19 0
C. Perry Cin. 14 47 3.4 12 0
Washington Pitt. 13 168 12.9 48 1
Faulk N.E. 13 114 8.8 22 0
Royal Buff. 13 102 7.8 30 1
Gage Ten. 12 176 14.7 28 1
D. Martin Mia. 12 162 13.5 25 1
Walker Jax. 12 161 13.4 32 0
Clark Ind. 12 153 12.8 29 0
Williams Balt. 12 110 9.2 22 0
Morris N.E. 12 90 7.5 28 0
Clayton Balt. 12 85 7.1 19 0
Kelly Cin. 12 73 6.1 15 0
Johnson Ten. 12 69 5.8 20 1
Charles K.C. 12 68 5.7 17 0
Jones N.Y.J. 12 60 5.0 19 1
Chambers S.D. 11 226 20.5 48 5
B. Jones Ten. 11 140 12.7 26 0
Edwards Clev. 11 95 8.6 17 1
Lewis Jax. 10 151 15.1 30 2
Tolbert S.D. 10 134 13.4 67 1
Brown Mia. 10 107 10.7 39 0
G. Jones Jax. 10 94 9.4 22 1
Gaffney N.E. 10 90 9.0 13 0
Rice Balt. 10 83 8.3 15 0
Santi Ind. 10 64 6.4 13 1
Taylor Jax. 10 60 6.0 12 0
Williams Mia. 10 41 4.1 15 0
Bush Oak. 9 89 9.9 25 0
J. Lewis Clev. 9 78 8.7 14 0
L. McClain Balt. 9 68 7.6 25 0
McGahee Balt. 9 58 6.4 15 0
Utecht Cin. 9 57 6.3 12 0
McCareins Ten. 8 132 16.5 37 0
Northcutt Jax. 8 97 12.1 20 0
Graham Den. 8 93 11.6 21 1
Pittman Den. 8 91 11.4 40 0
Heap Balt. 8 91 11.4 17 0
Griffith Oak. 8 83 10.4 24 0
Bess Mia. 8 60 7.5 24 0
Sproles S.D. 7 147 21.0 66 1
Baker N.Y.J. 7 75 10.7 29 0
Crumpler Ten. 7 61 8.7 14 1
Parrish Buff. 7 60 8.6 16 1
Steptoe Clev. 7 58 8.3 17 0
McFadden Oak. 7 43 6.1 11 0
Rhodes Ind. 7 34 4.9 10 0
Higgins Oak. 6 154 25.7 84 1
Davis Hou. 6 108 18.0 49 0
Keller N.Y.J. 6 84 14.0 24 2
Lelie Oak. 6 82 13.7 23 1
Curry Oak. 6 61 10.2 14 1
Moore Pitt. 6 54 9.0 24 0
Franks N.Y.J. 6 47 7.8 25 0
Ko. Smith K.C. 6 32 5.3 8 0
L. Johnson K.C. 6 12 2.0 12 0
Cobbs Mia. 5 152 30.4 80 2
Walker Oak. 5 59 11.8 29 0
D. Thomas N.E. 5 55 11.0 18 0
Hardy Buff. 5 47 9.4 17 1
Addai Ind. 5 29 5.8 14 0
Robinson Ind. 5 25 5.0 12 0
ManumaleunaS.D. 5 24 4.8 6 0
Green Hou. 5 5 1.0 6 0
Darling K.C. 4 98 24.5 68 0
D. Jackson Den. 4 66 16.5 48 1
Davis S.D. 4 59 14.8 20 0
Webb K.C. 4 38 9.5 15 0
Vickers Clev. 4 32 8.0 16 0
Leach Hou. 4 22 5.5 8 0
N. Jackson Den. 4 12 3.0 6 1
Cox K.C. 4 10 2.5 4 0
Floyd S.D. 3 75 25.0 49 1
Hagan Mia. 3 51 17.0 20 0
Harrison Clev. 3 47 15.7 23 1
Schilens Oak. 3 38 12.7 19 0
Martinez Den. 3 32 10.7 12 0
Watson N.E. 3 17 5.7 7 0
Young Den. 3 16 5.3 8 0
Hall Ten. 3 15 5.0 8 0
Dorsey Cin. 2 49 24.5 36 0
Barnes Buff. 2 34 17.0 25 0
Schouman Buff. 2 32 16.0 21 0
Davis Ten. 2 31 15.5 21 0
Estandia Jax. 2 26 13.0 19 0
J. Wright Clev. 2 19 9.5 10 0
Hall Den. 2 17 8.5 11 0
Mendenhall Pitt. 2 17 8.5 11 0
Naanee S.D. 2 12 6.0 6 0
Fargas Oak. 2 12 6.0 12 0
Williamson Jax. 2 11 5.5 6 0
C. Davis Pitt. 2 9 4.5 10 0
D. Anderson Hou. 2 6 3.0 4 0
Wilcox Balt. 2 5 2.5 4 1
Watson Cin. 2 3 1.5 3 0
Denney Buff. 1 19 19.0 19 1
Hart Ind. 1 18 18.0 18 0
Sanders Clev. 1 18 18.0 18 0
Cribbs Clev. 1 17 17.0 17 0
Wilford Mia. 1 15 15.0 15 0
Neal Balt. 1 13 13.0 13 0
Henry Cin. 1 13 13.0 13 0
Dreessen Hou. 1 11 11.0 11 0
Coats Cin. 1 11 11.0 11 0
M. Owens Jax. 1 10 10.0 10 0
Heiden Clev. 1 9 9.0 9 0
Aiken N.E. 1 9 9.0 9 0
Green-Ellis N.E. 1 9 9.0 9 0
Franklin K.C. 1 8 8.0 8 0
St. Johnson Buff. 1 8 8.0 8 0
Hagans K.C. 1 7 7.0 7 0
Stewart Oak. 1 7 7.0 7 0
Porter Jax. 1 6 6.0 6 0
Spaeth Pitt. 1 6 6.0 6 0
Tamme Ind. 1 6 6.0 6 0
Jones Hou. 1 5 5.0 5 0
Richardson N.Y.J. 1 4 4.0 4 0
Hillis Den. 1 4 4.0 4 0
Washington N.E. 1 3 3.0 3 0
Chatman N.Y.J. 1 2 2.0 2 0
Angulo Jax. 1 1 1.0 1 0
Cramer Mia. 1 1 1.0 1 0
White Ten. 1 0 0.0 0 0
Russell Pitt. 1 -2 -2.0 -2 0
Fitzpatrick Cin. 1 -3 -3.0 -3 0
Roethlisberger Pitt. 1 -7 -7.0 -7 0
SCORING
Player Team TD XP/att FG/att 2XP Pts
Prater Den. 0 17/17 13/14 0 56
Kaeding S.D. 0 18/18 12/15 0 54
Scobee Jax. 0 13/13 11/12 0 46
Brown Mia. 7 0/0 0/0 0 42
Gostkowski N.E. 0 8/8 11/12 0 41
K. Brown Hou. 0 10/10 10/10 0 40
Lindell Buff. 0 13/13 9/11 0 40
Bironas Ten. 0 13/13 8/8 0 37
Janikowski Oak. 0 7/7 10/13 0 37
Reed Pitt. 0 10/10 9/9 0 37
Graham Cin. 0 5/5 9/10 0 32
Chambers S.D. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Jones-Drew Jax. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
White Ten. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Feely N.Y.J. 0 11/11 6/8 0 29
Vinatieri Ind. 0 13/13 5/7 0 28
Addai Ind. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Coles N.Y.J. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Gates S.D. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Jones N.Y.J. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Lynch Buff. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
L. McClain Balt. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Pittman Den. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Slaton Hou. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Stover Balt. 0 9/9 5/8 0 24
Tomlinson S.D. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Ward Pitt. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Wayne Ind. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Carpenter Mia. 0 14/14 3/4 0 23
Dawson Clev. 0 4/4 6/6 0 22
Novak K.C. 0 6/6 5/7 0 21
Cotchery N.Y.J. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Harrison Ind. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Houshmandzadeh Cin. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Johnson Ten. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
L. Johnson K.C. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Marshall Den. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Morris N.E. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Parker Pitt. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Stuckey N.Y.J. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Walter Hou. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Evans Buff. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
Royal Den. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
Sproles S.D. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
Bowe K.C. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Cobbs Mia. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Fasano Mia. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Faulk N.E. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Gonzalez K.C. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Jackson S.D. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
A. Johnson Hou. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Keller N.Y.J. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Lewis Jax. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Mathis Jax. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Moss N.E. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Parrish Buff. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
C. Perry Cin. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Schaub Hou. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Scheffler Den. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Stokley Den. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Rhodes Ind. 1 0/0 0/0 1 8
AFC INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
WEEK SIX Monday-night game not included.
PUNT RETURNS
Player Team No FC Yds Avg Lg TD
Parrish Buff. 11 2 167 15.2 63 1
Faulk N.E. 7 4 106 15.1 24 0
Sproles S.D. 8 4 114 14.3 28 0
Royal Den. 8 2 114 14.3 36 0
L. Washington N.Y.J. 11 3 150 13.6 22 0
Jones Hou. 12 4 160 13.3 70 1
Carr Ten. 9 6 118 13.1 33 0
WitherspoonJax. 8 2 95 11.9 29 0
Higgins Oak. 15 0 154 10.3 35 0
Chatman Cin. 11 2 111 10.1 34 0
Cribbs Clev. 9 0 78 8.7 12 0
Sams K.C. 7 3 58 8.3 16 0
Figurs Balt. 11 4 78 7.1 35 0
Holmes Pitt. 10 1 48 4.8 13 0
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
L. WashingtonN.Y.J. 10 315 31.5 94 0
Hobbs N.E. 17 523 30.8 81 0
Sproles S.D. 18 547 30.4 103 1
Carr Ten. 11 320 29.1 52 0
Witherspoon Jax. 17 487 28.6 51 0
Savage K.C. 8 218 27.3 51 0
Holt Cin. 28 744 26.6 60 0
McKelvin Buff. 16 410 25.6 56 0
Higgins Oak. 21 529 25.2 69 0
Cribbs Clev. 5 118 23.6 44 0
Hall Den. 13 303 23.3 28 0
Davis Hou. 21 474 22.6 50 0
Forsett Ind. 11 248 22.5 28 0
Bess Mia. 14 311 22.2 32 0
Figurs Balt. 10 207 20.7 28 0
Sams K.C. 9 180 20.0 36 0
Player Team No Yds Lg TD
Finnegan Ten. 4 100 99 1
Griffin Ten. 4 21 15 0
Revis N.Y.J. 3 32 32 1
McAlister Balt. 3 28 16 0
Polamalu Pitt. 3 12 12 0
Mathis Jax. 2 133 72 2
Cromartie S.D. 2 52 52 1
E. Wright Clev. 2 37 20 0
Sensabaugh Jax. 2 23 23 0
Hall Oak. 2 21 21 0
Adams Clev. 2 18 18 0
Harper Ten. 2 11 11 0
Meriweather N.E. 2 6 6 0
Bullitt Ind. 2 5 3 0
McGee Buff. 2 0 0 0
McFadden Pitt. 2 0 0 0
PASSING
Comp TD Int Avg
Player Team Att Comp Pct Yds TD Pct Lg Int Pct Gain Rating
Rivers S.D. 165 102 61.8 1,489 14 8.5 67 4 2.4 9.02 109.4
Favre N.Y.J. 157 112 71.3 1,124 13 8.3 56 6 3.8 7.16 103.0
Pennington Mia. 137 94 68.6 1,101 5 3.6 80 2 1.5 8.04 98.8
Roethlisberger Pitt. 124 79 63.7 947 7 5.6 49 3 2.4 7.64 95.7
Cutler Den. 228 146 64.0 1,694 12 5.3 72 5 2.2 7.43 94.8
Edwards Buff. 122 81 66.4 948 4 3.3 49 2 1.6 7.77 93.9
Manning Ind. 182 115 63.2 1,302 8 4.4 75 5 2.7 7.15 87.8
Garrard Jax. 183 122 66.7 1,259 4 2.2 33 4 2.2 6.88 84.5
Cassel N.E. 142 92 64.8 910 3 2.1 66 4 2.8 6.41 78.1
Schaub Hou. 152 93 61.2 1,076 5 3.3 61 7 4.6 7.08 74.3
Russell Oak. 134 67 50.0 827 4 3.0 84 2 1.5 6.17 73.2
Collins Ten. 115 64 55.7 740 3 2.6 44 3 2.6 6.43 73.1
Palmer Cin. 129 75 58.1 731 3 2.3 36 4 3.1 5.67 69.0
Flacco Balt. 144 90 62.5 844 1 0.7 54 7 4.9 5.86 60.6
Anderson Clev. 117 58 49.6 543 3 2.6 23 6 5.1 4.64 49.9
Thigpen K.C. 79 33 41.8 316 2 2.5 30 4 5.1 4.00 40.9
NON-QUALIFIERS
Losman Buff. 21 15 71.4 220 1 4.8 87 1 4.8 10.48 101.3
Rosenfels Hou. 33 21 63.6 246 1 3.0 39 1 3.0 7.45 83.6
Huard K.C. 65 41 63.1 381 2 3.1 68 4 6.2 5.86 63.7
Fitzpatrick Cin. 68 41 60.3 308 1 1.5 22 3 4.4 4.53 57.7
Young Ten. 22 12 54.5 110 1 4.5 27 2 9.1 5.00 45.6
PUNTING
Gross Ins Ret Net
Player Team No Yds Lg Avg TB 20 Blk Ret Yds Avg
Scifres S.D. 20 1,013 67 50.7 3 7 0 11 88 43.3
Lechler Oak. 25 1,240 70 49.6 5 9 0 11 91 42.0
Koch Balt. 25 1,167 61 46.7 1 5 0 16 112 41.4
Kern Den. 18 863 64 47.9 2 4 0 14 82 41.2
Colquitt K.C. 30 1,439 73 48.0 1 13 0 20 189 41.0
H. Smith Ind. 21 942 60 44.9 1 9 0 9 76 40.3
Berger Pitt. 25 1,088 61 43.5 1 10 0 15 67 40.0
Zastudil Clev. 20 908 59 45.4 4 5 0 5 39 39.5
Moorman Buff. 25 1,162 62 46.5 3 10 0 10 121 39.2
Graham N.Y.J. 14 606 56 43.3 0 2 0 9 101 36.1
Hentrich Ten. 29 1,273 70 43.9 4 9 0 12 158 35.7
Podlesh Jax. 22 970 60 44.1 3 7 0 14 138 35.1
Larson Cin. 33 1,415 57 42.9 2 5 1 20 212 34.2
Turk Hou. 15 657 58 43.8 3 4 0 7 86 34.1
Hanson N.E. 19 827 70 43.5 5 5 0 5 80 34.1
Fields Mia. 27 1,180 60 43.7 2 9 0 15 237 33.4
FIELD-GOAL ACCURACY
Avg Avg Avg
1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 or Yds Yds Yds
Player Team Yds Yds Yds Yds Longer Total Att Made Miss Lg
K. Brown Hou. 0-0 3-3 3-3 4-4 0-0 10-10 35.8 35.8 0.0 47
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .000 1.000
Reed Pitt. 1-1 1-1 2-2 4-4 1-1 9-9 39.7 39.7 0.0 53
1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
Bironas Ten. 0-0 2-2 3-3 3-3 0-0 8-8 35.9 35.9 0.0 49
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .000 1.000
Dawson Clev. 0-0 2-2 4-4 0-0 0-0 6-6 32.5 32.5 0.0 38
.000 1.000 1.000 .000 .000 1.000
Prater Den. 0-0 4-5 3-3 2-2 4-4 13-14 38.1 38.8 28.0 56
.000 .800 1.000 1.000 1.000 .929
Scobee Jax. 0-0 4-4 2-3 3-3 2-2 11-12 37.5 37.5 37.0 51
.000 1.000 .667 1.000 1.000 .917
Gostkowski N.E. 0-0 3-3 4-4 4-5 0-0 11-12 37.5 36.5 48.0 49
.000 1.000 1.000 .800 .000 .917
Graham Cin. 0-0 2-2 2-3 5-5 0-0 9-10 35.2 35.0 37.0 45
.000 1.000 .667 1.000 .000 .900
Lindell Buff. 0-0 1-1 4-4 4-5 0-1 9-11 40.7 38.9 49.0 48
.000 1.000 1.000 .800 .000 .818
Kaeding S.D. 0-0 6-6 4-4 2-5 0-0 12-15 34.8 32.3 45.0 49
.000 1.000 1.000 .400 .000 .800
Janikowski Oak. 0-0 5-5 3-3 1-1 1-4 10-13 39.3 31.9 64.0 56
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .250 .769
Feely N.Y.J. 0-0 2-2 3-4 1-2 0-0 6-8 32.4 30.7 37.5 43
.000 1.000 .750 .500 .000 .750
Novak K.C. 0-0 2-2 1-2 2-3 0-0 5-7 34.3 32.0 40.0 43
.000 1.000 .500 .667 .000 .714
Vinatieri Ind. 0-0 0-0 3-4 2-3 0-0 5-7 40.3 40.6 39.5 47
.000 .000 .750 .667 .000 .714
Stover Balt. 0-0 2-2 3-3 0-3 0-0 5-8 36.1 29.8 46.7 38
.000 1.000 1.000 .000 .000 .625
Player Tm Sks
J. Harrison Pitt. 6.5
Porter Mia. 6.5
M. Williams Hou. 6.0
Woodley Pitt. 5.5
Haynesworth Ten. 5.0
Mathis Ind. 5.0
Thomas N.Y.J. 4.5
Ellis N.Y.J. 4.0
T. Brown Ten. 3.5
Pace N.Y.J. 3.5
K. Edwards Oak. 3.0
Freeney Ind. 3.0
Peterson Den. 3.0
Phillips S.D. 3.0
Suggs Balt. 3.0
A. Thomas N.E. 3.0
Tucker S.D. 3.0
Vanden Bosch Ten. 3.0
Harris S.D. 2.5
Bowens N.Y.J. 2.0
Ekuban Den. 2.0
Hall Clev. 2.0
Langford Mia. 2.0
Odom Cin. 2.0
Olshansky S.D. 2.0
Pryce Balt. 2.0
Rogers Clev. 2.0
Roth Mia. 2.0
Sands Oak. 2.0
Aa. Smith Pitt. 2.0
Stroud Buff. 2.0
Vrabel N.E. 2.0
Warren Oak. 2.0
D.J. Williams Den. 2.0
Bingham S.D. 1.5
Burgess Oak. 1.5
Castillo S.D. 1.5
Foote Pitt. 1.5
Groves Jax. 1.5
Hayward Jax. 1.5
D. Johnson K.C. 1.5
Kearse Ten. 1.5
Bannan Balt. 1.0
Barton N.Y.J. 1.0
Boone K.C. 1.0
Brock Ind. 1.0
Cooper S.D. 1.0
Denney Buff. 1.0
Dumervil Den. 1.0
Engelberger Den. 1.0
Griffin Ten. 1.0
Henderson Jax. 1.0
Hobbs N.E. 1.0
Howard Oak. 1.0
Ingram Jax. 1.0
Ivy Balt. 1.0
Jenkins N.Y.J. 1.0
J. Johnson Balt. 1.0
S. Johnson Buff. 1.0
Kelly Oak. 1.0
Kelsay Buff. 1.0
Leonhard Balt. 1.0
R. Lewis Balt. 1.0
Meier Jax. 1.0
Merling Mia. 1.0
Mitchell Buff. 1.0
Morrison Oak. 1.0
Ndukwe Cin. 1.0
Poteat N.Y.J. 1.0
Da. Reid Ind. 1.0
Richardson Oak. 1.0
Rucker Cin. 1.0
Schobel Buff. 1.0
Scott Balt. 1.0
Seymour N.E. 1.0
Smith Jax. 1.0
Spicer Jax. 1.0
Starks Mia. 1.0
Team Den. 1.0
Team S.D. 1.0
Thompson Hou. 1.0
Timmons Pitt. 1.0
Webster Den. 1.0
Whitner Buff. 1.0
K. Williams Buff. 1.0
Wimbley Clev. 1.0
Youboty Buff. 1.0
SACKS
INTERCEPTIONS
30 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
RUSHING
Player Team Att Yds Avg Lg TD
Portis Wash. 136 643 4.7 31 6
Turner Atl. 128 597 4.7 66 6
Peterson Minn. 129 563 4.4 34 3
Gore S.F. 107 524 4.9 41 4
Forte Chi. 127 459 3.6 50 3
Barber Dall. 110 440 4.0 25 4
J. Jones Sea. 90 417 4.6 32 2
Graham T.B. 72 404 5.6 68 3
Dunn T.B. 75 386 5.1 38 1
Jacobs N.Y.G. 65 380 5.8 44 3
James Ariz. 101 363 3.6 16 3
Grant G.B. 106 359 3.4 57 0
D. Williams Car. 86 351 4.1 32 2
Jackson St.L. 96 348 3.6 29 1
Stewart Car. 70 281 4.0 24 4
Norwood Atl. 41 280 6.8 44 1
F. Jones Dall. 30 266 8.9 60 3
Bush N.O. 78 239 3.1 26 2
Ward N.Y.G. 33 217 6.6 22 0
Buckhalter Phil. 48 207 4.3 28 2
Kev. Smith Det. 42 195 4.6 50 2
Westbrook Phil. 54 194 3.6 18 4
McAllister N.O. 41 161 3.9 10 1
R. Johnson Det. 40 160 4.0 27 0
Betts Wash. 38 156 4.1 14 0
Hightower Ariz. 43 130 3.0 17 5
Bradshaw N.Y.G. 18 119 6.6 32 1
OSullivan S.F. 25 119 4.8 16 0
Taylor Minn. 29 110 3.8 13 0
Jones Chi. 32 110 3.4 16 0
Duckett Sea. 27 105 3.9 29 3
Rodgers G.B. 27 105 3.9 21 3
Jackson G.B. 20 104 5.2 19 1
P. Thomas N.O. 26 94 3.6 18 3
T. Jackson Minn. 11 65 5.9 19 0
J. Campbell Wash. 19 63 3.3 19 0
Weaver Sea. 13 54 4.2 13 0
Wolfe Chi. 9 53 5.9 38 0
Ryan Atl. 19 51 2.7 17 0
D. Jackson Phil. 6 50 8.3 21 0
Morris Sea. 10 47 4.7 17 0
Orton Chi. 10 40 4.0 12 0
Douglas Atl. 5 39 7.8 33 0
Kitna Det. 6 34 5.7 10 0
L. Booker Phil. 13 32 2.5 5 0
Avery St.L. 2 32 16.0 37 1
Hasselbeck Sea. 3 31 10.3 15 0
Frye Sea. 2 30 15.0 27 0
Moss Wash. 1 27 27.0 27 0
Choice Dall. 5 26 5.2 15 0
Foster S.F. 10 25 2.5 9 0
Owens Dall. 4 25 6.3 8 0
Arrington Ariz. 5 21 4.2 14 0
McNabb Phil. 11 20 1.8 10 0
Brees N.O. 10 19 1.9 9 0
Lumpkin G.B. 1 19 19.0 19 0
Battle S.F. 1 18 18.0 18 0
R. Davis Chi. 1 17 17.0 17 0
D.Thomas Wash. 1 16 16.0 16 0
Hixon N.Y.G. 1 15 15.0 15 0
Hester Chi. 1 15 15.0 15 0
McKie Chi. 7 13 1.9 6 2
Garcia T.B. 5 13 2.6 6 0
Hoover Car. 5 13 2.6 5 0
RECEIVING
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
Bush N.O. 41 361 8.8 42 3
Witten Dall. 39 497 12.7 42 2
Fitzgerald Ariz. 36 546 15.2 75 5
White Atl. 35 566 16.2 70 3
Jennings G.B. 34 653 19.2 62 4
Cooley Wash. 30 345 11.5 28 1
Moss Wash. 29 443 15.3 67 3
D. Jackson Phil. 29 433 14.9 60 1
Muhammad Car. 29 426 14.7 47 2
L. Moore N.O. 29 331 11.4 33 2
Breaston Ariz. 28 373 13.3 40 1
Boldin Ariz. 27 366 13.6 79 5
Forte Chi. 27 206 7.6 19 2
Randle El Wash. 26 306 11.8 29 1
Driver G.B. 25 295 11.8 50 2
A. Bryant T.B. 25 291 11.6 38 0
Wade Minn. 25 287 11.5 46 0
Barber Dall. 25 234 9.4 70 2
C. Johnson Det. 23 377 16.4 47 3
Owens Dall. 23 367 16.0 72 5
Jackson St.L. 23 243 10.6 53 0
Hilliard T.B. 23 199 8.7 18 3
Berrian Minn. 22 436 19.8 86 2
Smith Car. 22 374 17.0 56 1
Gore S.F. 22 196 8.9 24 1
Holt St.L. 20 210 10.5 45 1
Crayton Dall. 19 291 15.3 55 2
Battle S.F. 19 250 13.2 36 0
R. Davis Chi. 19 230 12.1 34 1
Burress N.Y.G. 18 259 14.4 33 1
Baskett Phil. 17 245 14.4 90 2
R. Williams Det. 17 232 13.6 25 1
Toomer N.Y.G. 17 207 12.2 31 1
Buckhalter Phil. 17 168 9.9 25 1
D. Lee G.B. 17 118 6.9 26 1
Bruce S.F. 16 303 18.9 63 4
Olsen Chi. 16 222 13.9 52 1
Hester Chi. 16 193 12.1 32 2
Carlson Sea. 16 190 11.9 22 1
Shockey N.O. 16 151 9.4 26 0
Dunn T.B. 16 113 7.1 17 0
Lloyd Chi. 15 249 16.6 32 1
Rosario Car. 15 166 11.1 24 1
G. Lewis Phil. 14 209 14.9 52 0
Nelson G.B. 14 158 11.3 29 1
Clark Chi. 14 146 10.4 26 0
Clayton T.B. 14 143 10.2 22 0
Hightower Ariz. 14 121 8.6 20 0
Westbrook Phil. 14 97 6.9 18 2
Kev. Smith Det. 14 89 6.4 13 0
Jenkins Atl. 13 209 16.1 62 1
Johnson S.F. 13 178 13.7 31 1
Shiancoe Minn. 13 155 11.9 34 2
Smith T.B. 13 152 11.7 29 2
Avant Phil. 13 146 11.2 31 0
Smith N.Y.G. 13 121 9.3 19 0
Henderson N.O. 12 385 32.1 84 2
Miller N.O. 12 185 15.4 41 0
Graham T.B. 12 110 9.2 24 0
Taylor Minn. 12 88 7.3 15 0
Jackson G.B. 12 69 5.8 18 0
Norwood Atl. 12 60 5.0 30 0
Davis S.F. 11 162 14.7 57 0
Douglas Atl. 11 148 13.5 47 0
McMichael St.L. 11 139 12.6 31 0
McDonald Det. 11 74 6.7 11 0
Peterson Minn. 11 56 5.1 13 0
Hixon N.Y.G. 10 191 19.1 41 1
R. Brown Phil. 10 163 16.3 40 0
Hackett Car. 10 131 13.1 37 0
Avery St.L. 10 119 11.9 43 0
L.J. Smith Phil. 10 77 7.7 11 2
James Ariz. 10 73 7.3 16 0
Patten N.O. 9 127 14.1 39 1
King Car. 9 75 8.3 23 0
Portis Wash. 9 63 7.0 14 0
Urban Ariz. 9 61 6.8 14 1
D. Williams Car. 9 57 6.3 25 1
Austin Dall. 8 186 23.3 63 3
M. Booker Chi. 8 104 13.0 30 1
Campbell N.O. 8 94 11.8 29 1
Galloway T.B. 8 74 9.3 13 0
Patrick Ariz. 8 71 8.9 19 0
Ward N.Y.G. 8 65 8.1 13 0
Engram Sea. 8 61 7.6 21 0
Furrey Det. 8 52 6.5 14 0
Askew T.B. 8 39 4.9 18 0
Meachem N.O. 7 235 33.6 74 2
McMullen Sea. 7 124 17.7 34 0
Stevens T.B. 7 71 10.1 31 1
R. Johnson Det. 7 61 8.7 34 1
J. Jones Sea. 7 48 6.9 17 0
P. Thomas N.O. 7 48 6.9 18 0
Doucet Ariz. 7 45 6.4 9 0
Looker St.L. 6 108 18.0 30 1
Allison Minn. 6 78 13.0 21 0
Morgan S.F. 6 74 12.3 25 0
Gilmore T.B. 6 72 12.0 36 1
Celek Phil. 6 55 9.2 19 0
Betts Wash. 6 44 7.3 11 0
Hunt Phil. 6 42 7.0 18 0
D. Hall St.L. 6 34 5.7 8 0
Curtis Dall. 6 21 3.5 8 0
Tahi Minn. 6 13 2.2 7 0
Karney N.O. 6 10 1.7 4 0
Humphrey G.B. 5 74 14.8 37 0
Walker S.F. 5 73 14.6 24 1
Moss N.Y.G. 5 68 13.6 23 2
Boss N.Y.G. 5 60 12.0 26 1
Burleson Sea. 5 60 12.0 20 1
Robinson Atl. 5 52 10.4 23 0
Taylor Sea. 5 50 10.0 17 0
Gaines Det. 5 50 10.0 17 0
Bumpus Sea. 5 48 9.6 19 1
Finneran Atl. 5 39 7.8 13 0
Jones G.B. 5 38 7.6 9 1
FitzSimmons Det. 5 37 7.4 16 1
Weaver Sea. 5 37 7.4 16 0
Pope Ariz. 5 36 7.2 15 0
Thrash Wash. 5 35 7.0 10 1
McKie Chi. 5 31 6.2 12 0
L. Booker Phil. 5 10 2.0 8 0
Kleinsasser Minn. 4 67 16.8 34 0
Mills Minn. 4 59 14.8 23 0
R. Martin G.B. 4 44 11.0 14 0
D.Thomas Wash. 4 40 10.0 16 0
Arrington Ariz. 4 35 8.8 13 0
Peelle Atl. 4 35 8.8 14 1
Bennett Dall. 3 57 19.0 20 0
Jarrett Car. 3 40 13.3 25 0
Payne Sea. 3 39 13.0 22 0
Rice Minn. 3 37 12.3 23 1
Branch Sea. 3 31 10.3 17 0
Colston N.O. 3 26 8.7 16 0
Stovall T.B. 3 25 8.3 9 0
Keasey S.F. 3 25 8.3 12 0
Ferguson Minn. 3 25 8.3 9 0
Hoover Car. 3 23 7.7 12 0
Colbert Sea. 3 23 7.7 10 1
Lumpkin G.B. 3 22 7.3 12 0
Jacobs N.Y.G. 3 19 6.3 9 0
Hedgecock N.Y.G. 3 18 6.0 9 0
Klopfenstein St.L. 3 18 6.0 14 0
Minor St.L. 3 18 6.0 12 0
McAllister N.O. 3 17 5.7 10 0
Felton Det. 3 15 5.0 7 0
Hall G.B. 3 13 4.3 8 1
Turner Atl. 3 11 3.7 6 0
Yoder Wash. 3 7 2.3 3 1
SCORING
Player Team TD XP/att FG/att 2XP Pts
Elam Atl. 0 13/13 16/17 0 61
Akers Phil. 0 18/18 13/17 0 57
Nedney S.F. 0 13/13 14/16 0 55
Longwell Minn. 0 9/9 14/17 0 51
Carney N.Y.G. 0 13/13 12/12 0 49
Bush N.O. 8 0/0 0/0 0 48
Gould Chi. 0 15/15 11/12 0 48
Suisham Wash. 0 12/12 12/15 0 48
Crosby G.B. 0 19/19 9/11 0 46
Kasay Car. 0 12/12 11/11 0 45
Folk Dall. 0 22/22 7/8 0 43
Rackers Ariz. 0 19/19 8/10 0 43
Mare Sea. 0 10/10 10/10 0 40
M. Bryant T.B. 0 12/12 9/10 0 39
Barber Dall. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Portis Wash. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Turner Atl. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Westbrook Phil. 6 0/0 0/0 0 36
Gramatica N.O. 0 16/16 6/10 0 34
J. Brown St.L. 0 5/5 9/10 0 32
Gore S.F. 5 0/0 0/0 1 32
Boldin Ariz. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Fitzgerald Ariz. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Forte Chi. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Hightower Ariz. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Owens Dall. 5 0/0 0/0 0 30
Hanson Det. 0 8/8 6/6 0 26
Bruce S.F. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Jennings G.B. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
F. Jones Dall. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
Stewart Car. 4 0/0 0/0 0 24
James Ariz. 3 0/0 0/0 1 20
Austin Dall. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Buckhalter Phil. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Duckett Sea. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Graham T.B. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Hilliard T.B. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Jacobs N.Y.G. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
C. Johnson Det. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Moss Wash. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Peterson Minn. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Rodgers G.B. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
P. Thomas N.O. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
White Atl. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
D. Williams Car. 3 0/0 0/0 0 18
Lloyd Chi. 2 0/0 0/0 1 14
Baskett Phil. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Berrian Minn. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Bradshaw N.Y.G. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
A. Bryant T.B. 0 3/3 3/3 0 12
Crayton Dall. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Driver G.B. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Henderson N.O. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Hester Chi. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
D. Jackson Phil. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
J. Jones Sea. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
McKie Chi. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Meachem N.O. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
L. Moore N.O. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Moss N.Y.G. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Muhammad Car. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Shiancoe Minn. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
L.J. Smith Phil. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Kev. Smith Det. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Smith T.B. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Winfield Minn. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Witten Dall. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Woodson G.B. 2 0/0 0/0 0 12
Mehlhaff N.O. 0 4/4 2/3 0 10
NFC INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
WEEK SIX Monday-night game not included.
PUNT RETURNS
Player Team No FC Yds Avg Lg TD
Bush N.O. 10 2 269 26.9 71 3
Hixon N.Y.G. 9 1 124 13.8 50 0
D. Jackson Phil. 19 7 253 13.3 68 1
Blackmon G.B. 13 2 154 11.8 76 1
Jones Car. 18 8 182 10.1 31 0
Bumpus Sea. 7 2 66 9.4 30 0
McQuarters N.Y.G. 7 4 59 8.4 15 0
Breaston Ariz. 12 4 96 8.0 17 0
Randle El Wash. 17 3 125 7.4 28 0
Jennings Atl. 19 5 129 6.8 37 0
Hester Chi. 11 4 59 5.4 25 0
D. Jackson T.B. 18 0 94 5.2 19 0
A. Jones Dall. 16 0 80 5.0 18 0
C. Gordon Minn. 10 8 39 3.9 10 0
KICKOFF RETURNS
Player Team No Yds Avg Lg TD
Norwood Atl. 17 493 29.0 85 0
F. Jones Dall. 16 434 27.1 98 1
Rossum S.F. 26 685 26.3 55 0
D. Manning Chi. 8 210 26.3 46 0
Taylor Minn. 8 205 25.6 37 0
Cartwright Wash. 18 457 25.4 50 0
D. Jackson T.B. 13 323 24.8 45 0
P. Thomas N.O. 17 421 24.8 56 0
Demps Phil. 21 507 24.1 63 0
Stewart Car. 15 349 23.3 38 0
M. Hicks Minn. 11 254 23.1 34 0
Wilson Sea. 25 567 22.7 54 0
Hester Chi. 14 317 22.6 51 0
Middleton Det. 19 418 22.0 42 0
Blackmon G.B. 24 527 22.0 45 0
Bradshaw N.Y.G. 10 214 21.4 33 0
Breaston Ariz. 17 361 21.2 38 0
D. Hall St.L. 25 529 21.2 32 0
Player Team No Yds Lg TD
Woodson G.B. 4 115 62 2
Collins G.B. 3 109 42 1
T. Williams G.B. 3 54 39 0
Spikes S.F. 3 14 13 0
Horton Wash. 3 13 10 0
Payne Chi. 2 61 49 0
Tillman Chi. 2 52 26 1
Adams T.B. 2 50 45 1
Mikell Phil. 2 41 41 0
Samuel Phil. 2 14 14 0
Talib T.B. 2 13 11 0
Ruud T.B. 2 10 10 0
Willis S.F. 1 86 86 1
Phillips T.B. 1 58 58 0
Parker Phil. 1 55 55 1
Dockery N.Y.G. 1 44 44 0
Lucas Car. 1 43 43 0
Rogers Wash. 1 42 42 0
Tuck N.Y.G. 1 41 41 1
Okeafor Ariz. 1 39 39 0
Milloy Atl. 1 38 38 0
Grant Sea. 1 31 31 0
Wilson Ariz. 1 28 28 0
Buchanon T.B. 1 26 26 1
Grimes Atl. 1 25 25 0
T. Jackson T.B. 1 25 25 0
Porter N.O. 1 25 25 0
Piscitelli T.B. 1 22 22 0
Atogwe St.L. 1 19 19 0
Gamble Car. 1 19 19 0
David N.O. 1 18 18 0
E. Coleman Atl. 1 16 16 0
Boley Atl. 1 16 16 0
McKenzie N.O. 1 14 14 0
Kaesviharn N.O. 1 13 13 0
Ellis Dall. 1 11 11 0
Houston Atl. 1 10 10 1
PASSING
Comp TD Int Avg
Player Team Att Comp Pct Yds TD Pct Lg Int Pct Gain Rating
Brees N.O. 224 159 71.0 1,993 12 5.4 84 6 2.7 8.90 105.0
Romo Dall. 201 128 63.7 1,689 14 7.0 72 5 2.5 8.40 103.0
Warner Ariz. 213 149 70.0 1,708 12 5.6 79 5 2.3 8.02 102.8
Manning N.Y.G. 132 84 63.6 1,032 6 4.5 41 1 0.8 7.82 99.7
Rodgers G.B. 193 124 64.2 1,482 11 5.7 62 4 2.1 7.68 98.0
J. Campbell Wash. 179 115 64.2 1,262 6 3.4 67 0 0.0 7.05 96.2
McNabb Phil. 211 135 64.0 1,576 8 3.8 90 3 1.4 7.47 93.2
Orton Chi. 198 122 61.6 1,386 8 4.0 52 4 2.0 7.00 87.6
Ryan Atl. 161 93 57.8 1,164 5 3.1 70 3 1.9 7.23 82.9
Delhomme Car. 181 106 58.6 1,338 5 2.8 56 5 2.8 7.39 79.4
OSullivan S.F. 170 99 58.2 1,291 7 4.1 63 8 4.7 7.59 76.4
Frerotte Minn. 140 78 55.7 988 3 2.1 86 3 2.1 7.06 76.1
Bulger St.L. 115 67 58.3 655 2 1.7 50 2 1.7 5.70 72.9
Kitna Det. 120 68 56.7 758 5 4.2 47 5 4.2 6.32 72.2
Griese T.B. 147 84 57.1 804 4 2.7 38 6 4.1 5.47 64.6
Hasselbeck Sea. 118 58 49.2 656 2 1.7 34 4 3.4 5.56 57.7
NON-QUALIFIERS
Garcia T.B. 78 52 66.7 487 3 3.8 29 2 2.6 6.24 85.8
T. Jackson Minn. 60 31 51.7 316 1 1.7 24 1 1.7 5.27 65.7
Green St.L. 32 17 53.1 236 0 0.0 53 1 3.1 7.38 64.1
Orlovsky Det. 49 27 55.1 253 1 2.0 37 2 4.1 5.16 59.3
Frye Sea. 23 12 52.2 83 2 8.7 19 2 8.7 3.61 53.4
PUNTING
Gross Ins Ret Net
Player Team No Yds Lg Avg TB 20 Blk Ret Yds Avg
Jones St.L. 31 1,601 63 51.6 1 9 0 26 290 41.6
Rocca Phil. 25 1,158 65 46.3 1 10 0 13 98 41.6
Bidwell T.B. 35 1,624 64 46.4 4 13 0 16 148 39.9
N. Harris Det. 34 1,480 58 43.5 2 13 0 17 86 39.8
McBriar Dall. 24 1,175 66 49.0 3 5 1 16 144 38.8
Frost G.B. 26 1,117 65 43.0 3 4 0 13 76 37.7
Baker Car. 27 1,259 63 46.6 2 12 3 15 91 37.6
Koenen Atl. 25 1,016 60 40.6 3 9 0 7 19 37.5
Lee S.F. 21 941 82 44.8 2 5 0 10 124 37.0
Feagles N.Y.G. 13 557 56 42.8 2 5 0 4 36 37.0
Maynard Chi. 34 1,383 67 40.7 2 16 0 12 86 37.0
Johnson Ariz. 18 768 59 42.7 2 7 0 7 68 36.7
Weatherford N.O. 21 917 61 43.7 3 3 0 12 120 35.1
Ryan Sea. 19 856 63 45.1 3 2 1 10 108 34.4
Kluwe Minn. 37 1,781 60 48.1 6 10 0 23 414 33.7
Brooks Wash. 26 1,030 60 39.6 0 9 0 12 195 32.1
FIELD-GOAL ACCURACY
Avg Avg Avg
1-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50 or Yds Yds Yds
Player Team Yds Yds Yds Yds Longer Total Att Made Miss Lg
Carney N.Y.G. 0-0 6-6 4-4 2-2 0-0 12-12 31.9 31.9 0.0 47
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .000 1.000
Kasay Car. 0-0 1-1 4-4 6-6 0-0 11-11 38.2 38.2 0.0 49
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .000 1.000
Mare Sea. 0-0 2-2 5-5 1-1 2-2 10-10 37.9 37.9 0.0 51
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
Hanson Det. 0-0 0-0 1-1 3-3 2-2 6-6 45.8 45.8 0.0 53
.000 .000 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000
Elam Atl. 0-0 5-5 3-4 7-7 1-1 16-17 36.5 36.7 33.0 50
.000 1.000 .750 1.000 1.000 .941
Gould Chi. 0-0 3-3 3-3 5-6 0-0 11-12 36.9 35.8 49.0 45
.000 1.000 1.000 .833 .000 .917
J. Brown St.L. 0-0 2-2 0-0 4-4 3-4 9-10 44.6 43.9 51.0 54
.000 1.000 .000 1.000 .750 .900
M. Bryant T.B. 0-0 1-1 7-7 1-1 0-1 9-10 36.0 34.3 51.0 49
.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 .000 .900
Nedney S.F. 0-0 5-5 5-5 3-5 1-1 14-16 36.6 35.8 42.0 53
.000 1.000 1.000 .600 1.000 .875
Folk Dall. 0-0 1-1 3-4 1-1 2-2 7-8 39.6 40.0 37.0 52
.000 1.000 .750 1.000 1.000 .875
Longwell Minn. 0-0 5-5 4-5 3-5 2-2 14-17 37.7 36.2 44.7 53
.000 1.000 .800 .600 1.000 .824
Crosby G.B. 0-0 2-2 4-5 1-1 2-3 9-11 39.0 38.1 43.0 51
.000 1.000 .800 1.000 .667 .818
Suisham Wash. 0-0 3-3 5-6 3-4 1-2 12-15 37.6 36.1 43.7 50
.000 1.000 .833 .750 .500 .800
Rackers Ariz. 0-0 2-2 3-5 3-3 0-0 8-10 35.5 35.4 36.0 47
.000 1.000 .600 1.000 .000 .800
Akers Phil. 1-1 6-6 5-5 1-2 0-3 13-17 33.8 28.7 50.3 44
1.000 1.000 1.000 .500 .000 .765
Gramatica N.O. 0-0 0-0 3-3 2-5 1-2 6-10 43.1 40.8 46.5 53
.000 .000 1.000 .400 .500 .600
Player Tm Sks
Abraham Atl. 7.0
Kampman G.B. 6.0
Ware Dall. 6.0
K. Williams Minn. 6.0
Parker Phil. 4.5
Berry Ariz. 4.0
Kerney Sea. 4.0
LaBoy Ariz. 4.0
Robbins N.Y.G. 4.0
Haralson S.F. 3.5
Howard Phil. 3.5
White T.B. 3.5
Allen Minn. 3.0
A. Brown Chi. 3.0
Grant N.O. 3.0
Little St.L. 3.0
McCray N.O. 3.0
Okeafor Ariz. 3.0
Peppers Car. 3.0
Peterson Sea. 3.0
Ratliff Dall. 3.0
J. Smith S.F. 3.0
Tuck N.Y.G. 3.0
White Det. 3.0
Jenkins G.B. 2.5
Adams T.B. 2.0
Adeyanju St.L. 2.0
Carter T.B. 2.0
T. Cole Phil. 2.0
Dansby Ariz. 2.0
Dawkins Phil. 2.0
DeVries Det. 2.0
Dockett Ariz. 2.0
Ellis Dall. 2.0
R. Green S.F. 2.0
Harrison Chi. 2.0
Hawk G.B. 2.0
Henry Dall. 2.0
Idonije Chi. 2.0
Jackson Sea. 2.0
Kiwanuka N.Y.G. 2.0
Klecko Phil. 2.0
Long St.L. 2.0
Smith N.O. 2.0
Tollefson N.Y.G. 2.0
Winfield Minn. 2.0
SACKS
INTERCEPTIONS
31 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
NFL TEAM STATISTICS
WEEK SIX Monday-night game not included.
3-3-0 3-3-0 5-0-0 1-4-0 4-2-0 1-4-0 3-3-0 4-1-0 3-3-0 4-2-0 4-1-0 0-6-0 2-3-0 2-3-0 2-4-0 4-0-0
106 106 79 71 126 59 103 83 123 99 88 88 96 95 104 97
33 37 31 28 46 21 28 28 33 34 24 21 43 37 31 42
62 66 45 39 72 34 65 52 82 61 52 60 47 54 59 47
11 3 3 4 8 4 10 3 8 4 12 7 6 4 14 8
1954 2022 1432 1272 2411 1187 2030 1565 2473 1932 1418 1367 1419 1734 1843 1724
325.7 337.0 286.4 254.4 401.8 237.4 338.3 313.0 412.2 322.0 283.6 227.8 283.8 346.8 307.2 431.0
744 710 595 589 767 412 591 492 525 655 531 433 666 600 682 725
124.0 118.3 119.0 117.8 127.8 82.4 98.5 98.4 87.5 109.2 106.2 72.2 133.2 120.0 113.7 181.3
1210 1312 837 683 1644 775 1439 1073 1948 1277 887 934 753 1134 1161 999
201.7 218.7 167.4 136.6 274.0 155.0 239.8 214.6 324.7 212.8 177.4 155.7 150.6 226.8 193.5 249.8
178 188 166 129 161 110 157 133 158 181 143 139 180 141 146 124
4.2 3.8 3.6 4.6 4.8 3.7 3.8 3.7 3.3 3.6 3.7 3.1 3.7 4.3 4.7 5.8
201 198 137 164 202 148 165 144 224 181 135 197 144 150 170 133
110 122 76 86 128 84 102 97 159 106 83 116 90 102 99 85
54.7 61.6 55.5 52.4 63.4 56.8 61.8 67.4 71.0 58.6 61.5 58.9 62.5 68.0 58.2 63.9
16 12 2 15 7 15 8 16 6 9 19 19 10 9 23 5
98 74 13 107 45 116 50 114 45 61 120 105 91 53 130 38
4 4 5 8 5 3 4 3 6 5 3 7 7 2 8 1
39 53 52 141 137 105 58 20 37 120 73 81 27 19 162 0
0 1 0 1 0 2 1 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 1 0
37 34 29 30 25 31 20 25 21 30 25 34 25 27 21 13
48.1 40.7 43.9 48.0 47.0 51.6 50.7 46.5 43.7 42.0 43.5 41.6 46.7 43.7 44.8 42.8
6 2 4 1 3 1 3 3 3 2 1 2 1 2 2 2
33.7 37.0 35.7 41.0 38.8 41.6 43.3 39.2 35.1 37.6 40.0 34.2 41.4 33.4 37.0 37.0
0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0
16 17 11 10 16 6 10 18 11 19 12 11 12 10 5 17
4.9 6.2 11.3 5.7 5.0 12.5 12.9 15.5 25.4 9.6 3.8 10.1 8.3 10.5 19.2 10.9
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
23 26 13 22 26 28 22 21 23 21 17 28 15 19 32 12
24.0 22.9 28.0 23.4 23.5 20.5 27.0 23.7 21.8 22.2 18.5 26.6 20.1 18.9 23.3 20.7
0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
41 40 32 19 49 36 26 20 44 51 33 35 37 20 40 25
356 317 232 144 404 286 190 150 412 323 294 254 300 171 268 235
11 7 7 7 13 6 5 8 10 6 7 11 11 8 9 3
6 6 3 2 4 3 2 6 5 4 3 5 5 1 7 0
16 5 10 11 10 8 9 6 5 7 7 9 6 8 7 2
6 5 4 8 5 4 4 3 4 4 3 6 1 4 2 0
86 94 69 75 77 63 71 61 77 81 65 85 70 58 66 43
28 43 24 29 42 15 30 23 38 26 23 30 29 19 19 19
32.6 45.7 34.8 38.7 54.5 23.8 42.3 37.7 49.4 32.1 35.4 35.3 41.4 32.8 28.8 44.2
3 5 5 5 3 7 2 3 3 7 3 7 5 5 5 0
2 2 2 1 2 3 1 2 1 2 1 4 3 4 3 0
66.7 40.0 40.0 20.0 66.7 42.9 50.0 66.7 33.3 28.6 33.3 57.1 60.0 80.0 60.0 0
31:22 31:28 29:25 28:23 30:50 27:08 27:57 30:26 31:53 30:59 30:10 26:41 33:31 30:48 28:33 33:27
10 16 13 7 22 5 20 14 21 12 11 9 9 14 14 13
3 5 7 3 7 2 4 6 6 6 3 3 7 8 5 5
5 8 4 4 14 2 14 6 12 5 7 4 1 6 7 7
2 3 2 0 1 1 2 2 3 1 1 2 1 0 2 1
9/9 15/15 13/13 6/6 22/22 5/5 18/18 13/13 20/20 12/12 10/10 7/7 9/9 14/14 13/13 13/13
0/1 1/1 0/0 1/1 0/0 0/0 2/2 1/1 0/1 0/0 0/1 0/2 0/0 0/0 1/1 0/0
14/17 11/12 8/8 5/7 7/8 9/10 12/15 9/11 8/13 11/11 9/9 9/10 5/8 3/4 14/16 12/12
113 148 115 65 175 62 178 126 172 117 103 88 78 107 141 127
119 109 56 131 141 164 139 104 133 97 79 144 87 103 167 49
87 111 82 94 105 113 131 89 111 88 83 117 61 84 124 61
23 29 25 45 28 50 40 37 29 32 19 48 10 27 47 17
60 75 48 46 68 55 79 48 72 49 56 58 44 47 67 34
4 7 9 3 9 8 12 4 10 7 8 11 7 10 10 10
1704 1864 1339 1958 1802 2015 2194 1495 1984 1587 1158 1945 1104 1640 2103 944
284.0 310.7 267.8 391.6 300.3 403.0 365.7 299.0 330.7 264.5 231.6 324.2 220.8 328.0 350.5 236.0
442 446 479 911 525 845 673 571 620 634 334 941 332 445 745 328
73.7 74.3 95.8 182.2 87.5 169.0 112.2 114.2 103.3 105.7 66.8 156.8 66.4 89.0 124.2 82.0
1262 1418 860 1047 1277 1170 1521 924 1364 953 824 1004 772 1195 1358 616
210.3 236.3 172.0 209.4 212.8 234.0 253.5 184.8 227.3 158.8 164.8 167.3 154.4 239.0 226.3 154.0
146 129 131 181 141 171 155 141 142 165 120 217 120 127 189 89
3.0 3.5 3.7 5.0 3.7 4.9 4.3 4.0 4.4 3.8 2.8 4.3 2.8 3.5 3.9 3.7
195 247 170 135 200 139 242 163 219 179 166 173 145 153 200 125
117 148 100 81 123 91 158 93 120 103 103 109 73 92 120 76
60.0 59.9 58.8 60.0 61.5 65.5 65.3 57.1 54.8 57.5 62.0 63.0 50.3 60.1 60.0 60.8
14 12 15 3 15 11 16 10 13 10 18 5 11 13 13 15
97 108 104 25 92 81 81 73 84 71 150 45 72 69 76 105
4 6 10 3 2 1 6 3 5 3 6 4 7 3 8 2
2 116 132 39 11 19 71 33 72 70 18 57 59 20 102 85
0 1 1 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 1
34 32 27 19 26 21 23 28 26 35 27 24 31 20 22 26
43.9 44.3 40.3 44.9 45.7 44.1 47.0 47.4 44.2 45.8 47.1 46.5 42.1 47.3 38.5 46.2
1 2 3 3 3 2 2 2 3 4 2 4 3 1 2 2
41.0 39.8 33.5 38.7 40.3 38.7 39.7 36.0 31.2 38.3 43.9 38.5 37.0 41.0 32.3 37.5
0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
23 12 12 20 16 26 11 10 12 15 15 20 16 15 10 4
18.0 7.2 13.2 9.5 9.0 11.2 8.0 12.1 10.0 6.1 4.5 10.6 7.0 15.8 12.4 9.0
27 27 17 17 30 15 32 20 27 16 22 15 15 18 26 27
24.8 23.8 27.6 22.8 23.2 25.0 23.9 25.6 23.3 24.7 20.1 24.2 23.1 28.2 23.9 20.6
49 37 31 27 46 28 30 22 35 39 38 39 40 22 42 22
446 278 236 191 311 253 243 155 261 358 331 258 296 146 365 161
81 81 71 72 76 60 76 67 74 78 69 84 68 68 82 54
28 24 25 35 29 25 25 19 25 26 26 39 23 25 35 17
34.6 29.6 35.2 48.6 38.2 41.7 32.9 28.4 33.8 33.3 37.7 46.4 33.8 36.8 42.7 31.5
3 5 9 3 4 2 9 9 4 7 5 6 2 7 6 3
2 0 5 2 1 2 5 4 2 1 2 2 0 5 4 2
66.7 0 55.6 66.7 25.0 100.0 55.6 44.4 50.0 14.3 40.0 33.3 0 71.4 66.7 66.7
13 10 6 14 14 19 15 11 13 10 8 16 9 12 17 4
6 4 5 8 3 9 3 7 3 2 3 8 1 3 7 1
4 5 1 5 8 8 10 4 7 5 4 7 6 8 8 3
3 1 0 1 3 2 2 0 3 3 1 1 2 1 2 0
12/12 10/10 5/5 14/14 12/12 18/18 12/12 11/11 11/11 10/10 8/8 15/15 9/9 10/10 17/17 4/4
1/1 0/0 0/1 0/0 0/1 1/1 1/3 0/0 1/2 0/0 0/0 0/1 0/0 0/2 0/0 0/0
9/13 13/16 5/9 11/12 15/15 10/10 11/14 9/10 14/18 9/10 7/7 11/12 8/8 7/8 16/18 7/7
3-2-0 1-4-0 0-5-0 1-4-0 3-2-0 3-3-0 1-3-0 4-2-0 1-4-0 4-2-0 4-2-0 3-2-0 4-2-0 4-2-0 3-3-0 3-3-0
90 70 70 107 94 100 58 123 88 115 136 93 134 110 118 120 98.4
21 30 21 33 25 33 17 51 36 36 42 39 35 47 41 32 33.0
61 35 42 64 63 62 32 63 43 72 81 47 88 52 69 79 57.8
8 5 7 10 6 5 9 9 9 7 13 7 11 11 8 9 7.6
1482 1458 1264 1813 1587 2000 843 2124 1374 2066 2398 1489 2160 2100 1839 2096 1746.1
296.4 291.6 252.8 362.6 317.4 333.3 210.8 354.0 274.8 344.3 399.7 297.8 360.0 350.0 306.5 349.3 321.1
432 705 389 570 347 591 348 914 686 816 722 558 521 978 699 515 609.6
86.4 141.0 77.8 114.0 69.4 98.5 87.0 152.3 137.2 136.0 120.3 111.6 86.8 163.0 116.5 85.8 112.1
1050 753 875 1243 1240 1409 495 1210 688 1250 1676 931 1639 1122 1140 1581 1136.5
210.0 150.6 175.0 248.6 248.0 234.8 123.8 201.7 137.6 208.3 279.3 186.2 273.2 187.0 190.0 263.5 209.0
118 152 90 130 105 158 99 198 146 165 153 148 161 195 170 140 148.8
3.7 4.6 4.3 4.4 3.3 3.7 3.5 4.6 4.7 4.9 4.7 3.8 3.2 5.0 4.1 3.7 4.1
162 134 169 185 182 198 117 181 147 225 229 157 216 161 183 220 173.7
115 67 95 114 115 126 58 117 73 136 146 102 151 93 122 142 106.8
71.0 50.0 56.2 61.6 63.2 63.6 49.6 64.6 49.7 60.4 63.8 65.0 69.9 57.8 66.7 64.5 61.5
12 12 22 11 9 13 8 12 12 7 2 20 13 7 15 10 11.8
100 74 136 79 62 79 48 81 71 41 18 80 102 42 119 66 76.8
7 2 7 8 5 4 6 0 6 8 5 4 5 3 4 4 4.8
106 22 148 120 89 30 70 0 158 135 63 23 80 24 29 50 71.0
1 0 3 1 1 0 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.6
16 25 34 15 21 26 21 26 31 35 18 19 18 25 22 25 25.1
42.5 49.6 43.5 43.8 44.9 43.0 44.8 39.6 42.1 46.4 47.9 43.5 42.7 40.6 44.1 46.3 44.7
0 5 2 3 1 3 4 0 3 4 2 5 2 3 3 1 2.5
35.6 42.0 39.8 34.1 40.3 37.7 39.1 32.1 32.8 39.9 41.2 34.1 36.7 37.5 35.1 41.6 37.7
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.2
11 15 8 12 8 13 11 17 11 19 13 9 12 19 13 21 12.9
13.6 10.3 7.6 13.3 7.5 11.8 9.2 7.4 10.9 5.5 13.1 12.0 8.0 6.8 9.7 12.3 10.0
0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.2
16 22 28 24 18 28 14 19 26 18 21 23 23 20 25 25 21.8
26.8 24.5 20.5 21.5 20.8 20.5 17.4 24.9 22.6 22.6 21.4 27.1 23.0 25.7 24.6 22.5 22.9
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0.1
23 35 30 11 34 49 37 33 28 44 26 17 45 32 32 25 32.8
191 272 268 78 237 464 237 235 239 401 231 179 288 256 285 215 262.9
6 9 9 10 3 9 5 5 5 3 10 7 9 5 6 6 7.4
3 6 2 5 1 4 1 4 3 2 6 3 7 2 3 3 3.7
10 8 8 5 9 5 4 5 6 5 10 2 13 6 6 8 7.4
5 2 4 2 5 1 2 3 3 2 5 1 8 2 3 6 3.7
60 69 61 66 61 84 50 81 63 84 72 73 78 80 76 77 71.1
24 19 14 27 26 38 18 32 19 31 33 30 36 30 29 32 27.3
40.0 27.5 23.0 40.9 42.6 45.2 36.0 39.5 30.2 36.9 45.8 41.1 46.2 37.5 38.2 41.6 38.4
8 7 4 9 6 6 1 5 3 3 2 6 7 4 10 2 4.7
7 4 1 4 4 2 0 4 2 1 1 4 5 1 7 0 2.5
87.5 57.1 25.0 44.4 66.7 33.3 0 80.0 66.7 33.3 50.0 66.7 71.4 25.0 70.0 0 53.0
30:16 28:28 25:44 30:39 26:58 30:31 27:15 32:35 27:33 31:17 28:52 32:03 31:44 29:22 31:53 30:25 30:00
18 7 8 12 14 19 4 13 10 15 18 8 22 13 13 18 13.2
3 3 2 5 5 4 1 6 5 4 5 5 8 7 7 7 4.9
13 4 6 6 8 11 3 7 4 7 12 3 12 5 4 8 6.8
2 0 0 1 1 4 0 0 1 4 1 0 2 1 2 3 1.4
13/13 7/7 8/8 10/10 13/13 19/19 4/4 12/12 10/10 15/15 17/17 8/8 19/19 13/13 13/13 18/1812.4/12.4
1/5 0/0 0/0 0/2 1/1 0/0 0/0 0/1 0/0 0/0 1/1 0/0 1/2 0/0 0/0 0/0 0.3/0.7
6/9 10/13 6/6 10/10 5/7 9/11 6/6 12/15 10/10 12/13 13/14 11/12 8/10 16/17 11/12 13/17 9.5/11.0
141 81 76 112 114 160 46 126 100 141 166 89 177 139 124 167 121.1
130 135 159 158 97 145 78 117 151 97 154 109 144 127 128 123 121.1
102 105 106 93 97 113 79 99 94 90 121 80 102 115 121 91 98.4
24 36 46 39 42 52 32 28 31 22 37 25 34 34 39 29 33.0
73 58 54 52 49 47 40 64 53 64 79 50 62 75 70 54 57.8
5 11 6 2 6 14 7 7 10 4 5 5 6 6 12 8 7.6
1533 1745 2108 1707 1672 1993 1252 1715 1779 1873 2358 1604 1884 2098 2043 1676 1746.1
306.6349.0 421.6 341.4 334.4 332.2 313.0 285.8 355.8 312.2 393.0 320.8 314.0 349.7 340.5 279.3 321.1
345 575 855 655 805 920 504 503 631 538 825 597 562 708 665 549 609.6
69.0 115.0 171.0 131.0 161.0 153.3 126.0 83.8 126.2 89.7 137.5 119.4 93.7 118.0 110.8 91.5 112.1
1188 1170 1253 1052 867 1073 748 1212 1148 1335 1533 1007 1322 1390 1378 1127 1136.5
237.6 234.0 250.6 210.4 173.4 178.8 187.0 202.0 229.6 222.5 255.5 201.4 220.3 231.7 229.7 187.8 209.0
120 146 176 147 174 180 122 129 151 156 162 130 140 161 149 155 148.8
2.9 3.9 4.9 4.5 4.6 5.1 4.1 3.9 4.2 3.4 5.1 4.6 4.0 4.4 4.5 3.5 4.1
181 157 141 134 138 190 106 201 150 204 205 134 180 209 196 182 173.7
121 97 91 93 92 99 71 118 99 117 149 87 120 127 125 104 106.8
66.9 61.8 64.5 69.4 66.7 52.1 67.0 58.7 66.0 57.4 72.7 64.9 66.7 60.8 63.8 57.1 61.5
18 13 9 7 10 12 6 8 13 11 11 7 18 10 8 21 11.8
102 82 55 37 67 73 36 62 71 74 62 61 104 53 60 126 76.8
5 5 1 3 5 11 6 5 1 11 2 5 3 5 6 6 4.8
63 69 2 52 36 285 75 55 31 203 11 9 68 105 183 118 71.0
2 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 1 2 1 0.6
19 21 24 21 19 26 15 30 23 33 22 22 23 29 23 33 25.1
42.5 48.9 43.1 46.3 43.7 43.6 45.9 45.5 46.0 42.5 48.3 45.4 42.4 44.7 45.9 44.0 44.7
2 3 5 2 2 2 1 4 2 3 3 3 2 2 4 0 2.5
32.5 38.7 36.4 36.8 38.4 36.2 37.9 38.7 39.1 37.5 37.9 37.7 36.5 38.8 36.9 36.2 37.7
0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 0 0.2
10 11 17 7 9 13 5 12 16 16 14 5 7 7 14 13 12.9
11.1 8.3 5.1 12.3 8.4 5.8 7.8 16.3 14.3 9.3 5.9 16.0 9.7 2.7 9.9 7.5 10.0
22 14 17 24 19 25 12 25 17 27 24 14 26 30 20 31 21.8
21.6 25.6 23.8 22.3 22.5 23.0 21.7 18.8 23.4 18.9 26.8 20.9 18.9 20.2 18.6 25.7 22.9
27 19 31 24 19 37 29 35 27 40 38 22 38 45 31 40 32.8
200 121 304 204 147 271 237 294 226 320 327 167 319 381 309 296 262.9
66 65 68 57 67 79 47 73 68 87 76 56 68 82 74 82 71.1
28 28 27 22 29 31 18 30 27 29 32 22 27 35 36 28 27.3
42.4 43.1 39.7 38.6 43.3 39.2 38.3 41.1 39.7 33.3 42.1 39.3 39.7 42.7 48.6 34.1 38.4
7 1 3 6 2 7 6 1 2 7 5 3 6 5 3 3 4.7
6 1 1 6 1 5 4 1 1 2 3 0 5 2 1 2 2.5
85.7 100.0 33.3 100.0 50.0 71.4 66.7 100.0 50.0 28.6 60.0 0 83.3 40.0 33.3 66.7 53.0
16 16 19 20 8 15 10 12 16 9 17 13 17 16 15 12 13.2
7 8 7 10 5 5 6 3 5 0 7 4 4 6 4 3 4.9
7 8 9 8 1 9 3 6 9 8 9 9 12 10 11 7 6.8
2 0 3 2 2 1 1 3 2 1 1 0 1 0 0 2 1.4
14/14 14/14 19/1920/20 8/8 14/14 9/9 12/12 16/16 8/8 15/15 13/13 16/16 16/16 14/14 12/1212.4/12.4
1/2 2/2 0/0 0/0 0/0 0/1 0/1 0/0 0/0 1/1 1/2 0/0 1/1 0/0 0/1 0/0 0.3/0.7
6/7 7/11 8/10 6/7 13/14 13/13 3/4 11/12 13/15 11/12 11/14 6/8 8/11 5/7 8/8 13/13 9.5/11.0
NYJ OAK DET HOU IND GB CLE WAS SEA TB DEN NE AZ ATL JAX PHI NFL
AVG
GAMES (W-L-T)
FIRST DOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
TOTALYARDS GAINED
Average Per Game
RUSHING (NET)
Average Per Game
PASSING (NET)
Average Per Game
RUSHES
Average Yards
PASSES ATTEMPTED
Completed
Percent Completed
Sacked
Yards Lost
Had Intercepted
Yards Opp. Ret.
Opp. TDs On Int.
PUNTS
Gross Average
Touchbacks
Net Average
Blocked
PUNT RETURNS
Average Return
Return For TD
KICKOFF RETURNS
Average Return
Returns For TD
PENALTIES
Yards
FUMBLES
Fumbles Lost
Opponent Fumbles
Opponent Fumbles Rec.
3RD-DOWNATTEMPTS
Conv. to 1st Down
3rd Down Efficiency
4TH-DOWNATTEMPTS
Conv. to 1st Down
4th-Down Efficiency
Time of Possession
TOUCHDOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Returns
1-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
2-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
FG/FGA
Total Points
OPP. POINTS
OPP. 1ST DOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Penalty
OPP. YDS. GAINED
Avg. Per Game
RUSHING (NET)
Avg. Per Game
PASSING (NET)
Avg. Per Game
OPP. RUSHES
Avg. Yards
OPP. PASSES
Completed
Pct. Comp.
Sacked
Yards Lost
Intercepted By
Yards Ret.
Ret. for TD
OPP. PUNTS
Gross Avg.
Touchbacks
Net Avg.
Blocked
OPP. PUNT RET.
Avg. Ret.
OPP. KICKOFF RET.
Avg. Ret.
OPP. PENALTIES
Yards
OPP. 3RD-DOWNATT.
Conv. To 1st Down
3rd Down Efficiency
OPP. 4TH-DOWNATT.
Conv. To 1st Down
4th-Down Efficiency
OPP. TOUCHDOWNS
Rushing
Passing
Returns
1-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
2-PT. PAT/ATTEMPTS
OPP. FG/FGA
MIN CHI TEN KC DAL STL SD BUF NO CAR PIT CIN BAL MIA SF NYG OFFENSE
NYJ OAK DET HOU IND GB CLE WAS SEA TB DEN NE AZ ATL JAX PHI NFL
AVG
MIN CHI TEN KC DAL STL SD BUF NO CAR PIT CIN BAL MIA SF NYG DEFENSE
32 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
NFL TEAM RANKINGS
WEEK SIX Monday-night game not included.
Total Yards/Game
Rushing Yards/Game
Avg. Gain/Rush
Passing Yards/Game
Avg. Gain/Pass Play
Pct. Had Intercepted
Pct. QB Sacks Allowed
First Downs/Game
Avg. Gain/Off. Play
3rd Down Efficiency
4th Down Efficiency
Punt Return Avg.
Kickoff Return Avg.
Gross Punting Avg.
Net Punting Avg.
Points/Game
Extra Point Pct.
Field Goal Pct.
Opp. Yards/Game
Opp. Rush Yds./Game
Avg. Gain/Rush
Opp. Pass Yds./Game
Avg. Gain/Pass Play
Pct. Intercepted By
QB Sack Pct.
Opp. 1st Downs/Game
Avg. Gain/Def. Play
3rd Down Efficiency
4th Down Efficiency
Opp. Punt Return Avg.
Opp. Kickoff Ret. Avg.
Opp. Gross Punt Avg.
Opp. Net Punt Avg.
Opp. Points/Game
Opp. Field Goal Pct.
Point Differential
Turnover Edge
Penalty Yards Edge
Punt Ret. Differential
KO Return Differential
Time of Possession
25 18 31 32 4 5 17 20 28 10 21 22 23 26 12 24
7 23 31 25 10 16 32 15 14 11 18 27 4 20 21t 12
22 23 32 28 5 11 30 15 10 13 17 25 8 21 18 27
28t 13 26 32 2 7 8 20 31 11 22 15 28t 23 9 25
26 10 30 31 4 14 13 21 32 7 24 17 25 20 2 18
30 11 22 32 12 28 20 13 31 3 18 27 4 14 16 24
19 28 26 18 1 12 10 23 25 13 29 20 24 32 9 2
10 24 27 28 2 4 13 9 29 12 14 16 30t 19t 22 26
29 15 31 32 4 9 14 20 30 7 25 19 22 23 5 24
11 18 23 21 4 13 8 17 16 25 12 14 30 22 9 24
12t 6t 14t 30t 16t 18 6t 5 29 2t 6t 1 14t 22t 16t 20t
21 3 17 20 6 5 24 18 28 15 10 4 16 32 7 12
29 11 5 32 23 22 24 8 13 30 2 4 9 31 3 1
8 9 29 13t 6 17 12 15 5 18 21 26 3 22 2 16
5 12 30 13 6 26 8 24 7 29 27 22 2 9 1 21
27 10 29 32 8 17 16 20 30 18 25 6 26 21 2 15
1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t
31 20t 15t 1t 10 1t 28t 12t 28t 27 12t 30 25 1t 22t 1t
1 9 17 14 30 23 21 22 29 18 16 11 24 2 28 5
1 18 28 23 26 25 29 16 32 9 21 3 19 2 17 13
1 17 20 18 31 24 27 25 30 7 26 3 14 2 21 9
2 9 5 10 32 16 7 23 14 29 12 28 25t 4 31 6
4 7 10 22 26 29 12 23 30 28 27 16 24 2 14 3
5 24 18 3 29 20 8 12 21 23 7 13 11 9 15 1
11 19 31 21 24 25t 13 29 32 8 25t 5 9 3 15 6
1 14 23 24 25t 17 22 25t 18t 11 7 27 29 10 31 8
2 7 11 20 30 28 15 26 29 24 27 10 22 1 19 4
8 1 30 15 24 16 29 32 31 12 18 25 28 13 4 11
1t 12 7t 19t 18 29t 13t 7t 19t 25t 1t 28 29t 10t 16t 16t
7 24 21 10 5 25 13 19 17 29 30 22 12 2 11 27
15 27 23 10 30 11 12 1 13 32 8 9 28 5 22 31
3 30 26 22 31 25 9 21 16 29 17 6 32 28 27 2
13 6 21 18 17 11 20 12 26 31 16 4 25 32 28 3
6 14 21t 9t 24 30 8 16 26 13 17 25 27 3 19 1
25t 18t 20t 6t 9t 13t 24 25t 20t 16 6t 13t 2 25t 9t 1
22 11 27 25 16t 26 12 20 30 19 23 15 29 10 5t 2
27t 26 22t 12t 27t 32 3t 10t 12t 3t 18t 16t 18t 8t 3t 1
20 16 17t 19 4 1 28 14 9 23 21 15 30t 10 8 17t
16 9 19 14 2 17 21 18 27 30 28t 11 12 20 5 24
26 23 9 29 31 16 21 3 10 32 1 5 19 22 8 11
1 16 31 28 22 14 30 5t 25 13 4 18 24 19 26 20
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN OFFENSE
6 8 16 13 3 29 14 15 2 1 9 19 27 30 11 7
26 2 19 13 8 30 21t 9 24 1 28 17 5 29 6 3
31 2 26 16 4 12 20 14 29 1 24 7 6 19 3 9
4 21 14 12 3 24 10 17t 1 6 5 19 30 27 16 17t
6 11 9 16 3 28 12 22 1 5 8 19 29 27 23 15
15 6 21 8t 17 26 8t 7 19 2 5 29 25 10 23 1
14 7 11 15 5 30 16 21 3 6 8 31 22 27 4 17
3 15 25 17t 5 30t 23 17t 6t 1 8 21 19t 32 11 6t
10 6 16 18 2 27 13 21 3 1 8 11 26 28 17 12
3 19 27 5 1 32 6 26 2 7 10 29 28 31 20 15
4 27t 26 20t 6t 27t 22t 6t 22t 30t 30t 12t 6t 19 22t 2t
22 26 19 27 30 23 11 31 1 13 9 2 14 8 29 25
15 6 20 16 12 26t 26t 10 21 25 19 14 17 26t 18 7
25 31 28 30 7 20 23 4 19 24 11 13t 27 1 10 32
20 15 25 19 16 11 14 28 23 17t 4 17t 32 3 10 31
3 14 23 11 4 28 9 24 5 1 7 12t 22 31 12t 19
1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t 1t
22t 9 1t 12t 17t 1t 20t 19 32 1t 26 17t 1t 15t 11 22t
15 25 4 12 10 32 20 7 19 3 6 26 27 31 13 8
12 20 15 5 8 31 27 4 14 6 11 22 24 30 10 7
16 23 12 6 11 28 32 4 22 10 8 15 19 29 5 13
18 24 3 27 17 30 8 15 21 1 11 20 22 25t 19 13
21 19 5 8 15 32 6 17 13 1 9 20 25 31 18 11
26 17 25 16 28 31 2 22 19 27 10 6 32 30 4 14
4 28 22 27 12 17 18 14 20 1 2 16 7 10 23 30
12 21 3 15t 13 30 20 2 15t 6 5 28 18t 32 4 9
23 21 5 9 13 32 16 8 18 3 6 17 25 31 12 14
19t 26t 5t 2 14 19t 17 10 7 3 9 26t 19t 23 5t 22
27 10t 4 1t 5 7t 25t 19t 13t 19t 19t 19t 13t 29t 6 29t
18 1 6 8 14t 3 4 32 20 14t 9 26 28 23 16 31
3 6 24 20 16 19 14 25 17 7 29 21 18 26 4 2
4 15 20 14 19 7 8 10 13 24 11 1 23 12 5 18
5 15 19 22 29 10 8 30 2 14 7 1 27 23t 9 23t
21t 15 4t 7 20 31 23 11 18 2 12 28 29 32 4t 9t
5 4 18t 12 25t 11 25t 3 8 25t 25t 17 15 25t 20t 20t
9 16t 13 5t 8 31 14 21 5t 1 3t 24 28 32 3t 18
18t 10t 22t 12t 22t 27t 3t 16t 22t 12t 2 30t 30t 18t 8t 3t
13 2 12 25 29 11 32 5 30t 26 6 3 22 24 27 7
23 7 8 22 28t 10 4 32 1 13 6 3 25 15 26 31
6 4 24 18 12 28 25 17 20 13 27 14 15 30 7 2
7 21 11 8 12 32 15 9 5t 2 17 23 27 29 10 3
AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN DEFENSE AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS
BAL BUF CIN CLE DEN HOU IND JAX KC MIA NE NYJ OAK PIT SD TEN MISCELLANEOUS AZ ATL CAR CHI DAL DET GB MIN NO NYG PHI SF SEA STL TB WAS
AFC NFC
TEN. 0 0 0 3 5 8 0 0 0 4 10 14 +6
PHIL. 0 1 1 3 4 7 1 2 3 6 6 12 +5
G.B. 1 0 1 4 4 8 0 2 2 1 11 12 +4
IND. 0 0 0 1 5 6 2 3 5 5 5 10 +4
MIA. 0 1 1 1 2 3 2 2 4 4 3 7 +4
S.D. 1 0 1 2 4 6 0 1 1 4 6 10 +4
WASH. 3 0 3 4 0 4 1 0 1 3 5 8 +4
PITT. 0 0 0 3 3 6 0 0 0 3 6 9 +3
T.B. 0 0 0 2 8 10 0 3 3 2 11 13 +3
ATL. 1 0 1 2 3 5 1 0 1 2 5 7 +2
JAX. 2 0 2 3 4 7 2 1 3 3 6 9 +2
CHI. 1 0 1 6 4 10 1 0 1 5 6 11 +1
CLEV. 0 0 0 1 6 7 0 0 0 2 6 8 +1
K.C. 0 0 0 2 8 10 0 0 0 8 3 11 +1
N.Y.G. 0 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 2 +1
MINN. 2 1 3 6 4 10 1 0 1 6 4 10 +0
N.Y.J. 1 2 3 3 7 10 1 0 1 5 5 10 +0
ARIZ. 2 1 3 7 5 12 1 0 1 8 3 11 -1
N.E. 0 1 1 3 4 7 1 0 1 1 5 6 -1
OAK. 1 1 2 6 2 8 0 0 0 2 5 7 -1
ST.L. 1 0 1 3 3 6 3 0 3 4 1 5 -1
CAR. 0 3 3 4 5 9 0 0 0 4 3 7 -2
CIN. 1 0 1 5 7 12 1 2 3 6 4 10 -2
DALL. 1 0 1 4 5 9 2 1 3 5 2 7 -2
N.O. 0 0 0 5 6 11 1 1 2 4 5 9 -2
BUFF. 0 0 0 6 3 9 0 0 0 3 3 6 -3
BALT. 2 3 5 5 7 12 0 0 0 1 7 8 -4
DEN. 2 1 3 6 5 11 2 0 2 5 2 7 -4
DET. 1 0 1 2 7 9 2 1 3 4 1 5 -4
S.F. 1 2 3 7 8 15 0 1 1 2 8 10 -5
SEA. 0 2 2 3 6 9 1 0 1 3 1 4 -5
HOU. 2 2 4 5 8 13 0 1 1 2 3 5 -8
GAME SEASON GAME SEASON DIF
Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot Fum Int Tot
1. N.Y.G. 262 5.85 7.24 6.58
2. Dall. 370 4.76 7.87 6.52
3. N.O. 388 3.32 8.47 6.37
4. Den. 384 4.72 7.26 6.24
5. S.D. 330 3.76 8.32 6.15
6. Atl. 363 5.02 6.68 5.79
7. Mia. 300 4.26 7.13 5.78
8. Phil. 370 3.68 6.87 5.66
9. Hou. 326 4.38 6.34 5.56
10. Ariz. 390 3.24 7.16 5.54
11. S.F. 339 4.67 6.02 5.44
12. Wash. 391 4.62 6.27 5.43
13. G.B. 369 3.74 6.68 5.42
14. Ind. 296 3.30 6.49 5.36
15. Buff. 293 3.70 6.71 5.34
16. Car. 371 3.62 6.72 5.21
17. T.B. 397 4.95 5.39 5.20
18. Chi. 398 3.78 6.25 5.08
19. N.Y.J. 292 3.66 6.03 5.08
20. Jax. 368 4.11 5.76 5.00
21. Minn. 395 4.18 5.58 4.95
22. Oak. 298 4.64 5.16 4.89
23. Pitt. 297 3.71 5.76 4.77
24. Ten. 305 3.58 6.02 4.70
25. N.E. 325 3.77 5.26 4.58
26. Sea. 305 4.70 4.33 4.50
27. Det. 281 4.32 4.58 4.50
28. St.L. 273 3.75 4.75 4.35
29. Balt. 334 3.70 4.89 4.25
30. K.C. 308 4.57 3.82 4.13
31. Cin. 355 3.12 4.32 3.85
32. Clev. 224 3.52 3.96 3.76
1. Pitt. 304 2.78 4.48 3.81
2. Balt. 276 2.77 4.95 4.00
3. N.Y.G. 229 3.69 4.40 4.12
4. Ten. 316 3.66 4.65 4.24
5. Car. 354 3.84 5.04 4.48
6. Phil. 358 3.54 5.55 4.68
7. Buff. 314 4.05 5.34 4.76
8. Minn. 355 3.03 6.04 4.80
9. Chi. 388 3.46 5.47 4.80
10. N.Y.J. 319 2.88 5.97 4.81
11. Cin. 395 4.34 5.64 4.92
12. T.B. 371 3.45 6.21 5.05
13. Dall. 356 3.72 5.94 5.06
14. Wash. 338 3.90 5.80 5.07
15. Ind. 322 4.63 5.86 5.19
16. G.B. 382 5.11 5.31 5.22
17. S.F. 402 3.94 6.38 5.23
18. N.O. 374 4.37 5.88 5.30
19. S.D. 413 4.34 5.90 5.31
20. Clev. 234 4.13 6.68 5.35
21. Atl. 380 4.40 6.35 5.52
22. Oak. 316 3.94 6.88 5.52
23. Ariz. 338 4.01 6.68 5.57
24. Mia. 293 3.50 7.20 5.60
25. Sea. 314 4.18 7.04 5.67
26. Jax. 353 4.46 6.75 5.79
27. N.E. 271 4.59 7.14 5.92
28. Hou. 288 4.46 7.46 5.93
29. K.C. 319 5.03 7.59 6.14
30. Den. 378 5.09 7.10 6.24
31. St.L. 321 4.94 7.80 6.28
32. Det. 326 4.86 8.35 6.47
OFF RUSH PASS OFF
OFFENSE PLAYS AVG AVG AVG
DEF RUSH PASS DEF
DEFENSE PLAYS AVG AVG AVG
OFF TOT TOT SCOR TD
OFFENSE POSS TD FG % %
OFF TOT TOT SCOR TD
DEFENSE POSS TD FG % %
1. Mia. 14 11 1 .857 .786
2. Ind. 14 10 3 .929 .714
3. Ten. 16 11 5 1.000 .688
4. Det. 6 4 2 1.000 .667
5. Pitt. 12 8 3 .917 .667
6. G.B. 14 9 4 .929 .643
7. Ariz. 28 18 4 .786 .643
8. Den. 24 14 6 .833 .583
9. Wash. 21 12 7 .905 .571
10. N.Y.J. 21 12 5 .810 .571
11. Dall. 21 12 4 .762 .571
12. N.O. 22 12 5 .773 .545
13. Buff. 13 7 5 .923 .538
14. K.C. 13 7 3 .769 .538
15. Chi. 20 10 7 .850 .500
16. Hou. 20 10 7 .850 .500
17. Cin. 12 6 4 .833 .500
18. S.D. 23 11 10 .913 .478
19. S.F. 21 10 9 .905 .476
20. N.Y.G. 17 8 9 1.000 .471
21. Phil. 26 12 11 .885 .462
22. Sea. 14 6 6 .857 .429
23. Car. 14 6 5 .786 .429
24. T.B. 24 10 11 .875 .417
25. N.E. 17 7 7 .824 .412
26. Jax. 17 7 5 .706 .412
27. Clev. 10 4 5 .900 .400
28. Atl. 20 8 8 .800 .400
29. Balt. 15 6 4 .667 .400
30. Oak. 13 4 8 .923 .308
31. St.L. 5 1 3 .800 .200
32. Minn. 15 3 9 .800 .200
1. T.B. 11 3 8 1.000 .273
2. N.Y.G. 7 2 5 1.000 .286
3. N.O. 22 7 11 .818 .318
4. Ind. 15 5 7 .800 .333
5. Car. 12 4 6 .833 .333
6. Ten. 14 5 3 .571 .357
7. S.F. 25 10 10 .800 .400
8. G.B. 20 8 8 .800 .400
9. Balt. 10 4 5 .900 .400
10. Pitt. 12 5 6 .917 .417
11. Chi. 19 8 9 .895 .421
12. K.C. 17 8 6 .824 .471
13. S.D. 24 12 6 .750 .500
14. Buff. 14 7 4 .786 .500
15. Den. 22 11 8 .864 .500
16. Sea. 18 9 9 1.000 .500
17. Wash. 14 7 7 1.000 .500
18. Cin. 21 11 9 .952 .524
19. Dall. 21 11 10 1.000 .524
20. Minn. 17 9 4 .765 .529
21. Mia. 17 9 4 .765 .529
22. Phil. 13 7 4 .846 .538
23. Det. 20 11 5 .800 .550
24. Atl. 18 10 3 .722 .556
25. N.Y.J. 23 13 5 .783 .565
26. Ariz. 15 9 4 .867 .600
27. St.L. 18 11 5 .889 .611
28. N.E. 17 11 4 .882 .647
29. Oak. 20 13 5 .900 .650
30. Clev. 12 8 0 .667 .667
31. Jax. 18 13 4 .944 .722
32. Hou. 16 15 1 1.000 .938
TURNOVERS TAKEAWAYS TEAM EFFICIENCY INSIDE THE RED ZONE
33 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
To get daily tips
on picking
the winners, visit
for staff selections,
trends and tips, blogs
and handicapping column.
By Nolan Nawrocki
Senior editor
Scouts have taken shots at the overall com-
petition level of the Big 12 in recent years as
the talent level, outside of perennial pow-
ers Oklahoma and Texas, seemed to be wa-
tered down and especially weak on de-
fense.
Roughly at the halfway mark of the 2008
season, five of the Big 12s teams still were
undefeated. Texas, Texas Tech and Oklahoma
State all survived the weekend, with the top-
ranked Sooners and No. 3-ranked Mis-
souri both getting upset by the Longhorns
and Cowboys, respectively.
Texas Tech survived in overtime against
an improved Nebraska squad that has been
much more competitive under first-year
head coach Bo Pelini than it was under Bill
Callahan. And that is not to mention
Kansas, which sits atop the Big 12 North Di-
vision with only one loss.
Exceptional QB play has been paramount
to the conferences resurgence, as four of the
nations five most efficient passers, and
nine of the top 15, hail from the Big 12. Ok-
lahomas Sam Bradford and Missouris
Chase Daniel established themselves as
Heisman contenders a year ago, but the sur-
prise has come from Texas Colt McCoy and
Oklahoma States Zac Robinson, both of
whom keyed the upset victories last week.
McCoy has made great strides under
new assistant head coach Major Applewhite.
Entering the season, there were no questions
about McCoys toughness, mobility or lead-
ership ability, but his accuracy, arm strength
and poise in the pocket were suspect.
Enter Applewhite, and the game seems to
have slowed down for McCoy. He is using his
feet to set up the pass, keeping his eyes down
the field and throwing the ball with more
confidence. Completing 28-of-35 passes
and producing under pressure, McCoy ral-
lied the Longhorns back from deficits
against Oklahoma five times and showed a
sense of resiliency that was not evident in
a bit of a sophomore slump a season ago.
Robinson, meanwhile, outplayed the
more heralded Daniel, who forced the ball
into coverage three times when keying on
sensational third-year sophomore WR Je-
remy Maclin. Like McCoy, Robinsons abil-
ity to elude defenders and buy time in the
pocket continually kept drives alive. A trio
of sophomores small but strong RB
Kendall Hunter, playmaking WR Dez
Bryant and lanky but sure-handed WR
Damian Davis have made Robinsons job
a lot easier.
DRAFT AUDIBLES
What makes (North Carolina WR-RS
Brandon) Tate unique is his ability to
avoid defenders when he touches the
ball. Hes slippery and has a terrific burst
in traffic to accelerate.
(Wisconsin DE Matt Shaughnessy)
shows some initial moves and get-off, but
he does not make plays. Hes rangy, but
not sudden. I was expecting better. His
production is disappointing for a
prospect with so-called starter potential.
(USC MLB Rey) Maualuga missed
three or four tackles in every game I
watched. Some were not terrible. Some
were. Thats more than I would like (in a
linebacker).
(Oklahoma State TE) Brandon Pet-
tigrewis a man. I really like his playing
demeanor. Hes tough. Hes playing hurt
and has not been much of a factor as a
pass catcher, but boy can he block.
THE WAY WE HEAR IT
Texas received a big assist in its 45-35
win over Oklahoma from senior DE Brian
Orakpo, who notched two sacks and
continually took the corner against slow-
footed Oklahoma OT Phil Loadholt.
Orakpo was so disruptive off the edge
that Sooners QB Sam Bradfords inter-
nal clock was wound forward, and he was
forcing the ball on the Sooners final drive
even though the pocket was clean.
Scouts passing through Austin have
not been overly impressed with the ath-
letic phenom, the way we hear it, with few
willing to cement Orakpo as a legitimate
first-round talent just yet. Program
sources say he will clock a 40-time of 4.8
seconds, but Orakpo shows more juice
than he is given credit for and should only
get better.
He is proving wrong the evaluators who
stamped him as a developmental proj-
ect in fall camp, already notching 7
1
2
sacks through six games, ranking third in
the nation. He has had at least two in
three games. He is playing with very good
leverage and knee bend and showed up
big in the biggest contest of the season
against the nations top-ranked team.
With each passing game, Orakpo has
made more of a statement, is playing
harder under defensive coordinator Will
Muschamp and really could excel in a 3-
4 rush linebacker role. He showed up in
pursuit against the Sooners, chasing from
the backside, and has the type of freakish
ability that tends to ascend in the spring
as Draft Day nears. If lined up as a 3-4
rush backer, where he does not regularly
have to battle against power players, he
could be really good and eventually earn
first-round grades from very critical eval-
uators.
Great QB play bolstering Big 12
QB Colt McCoy completed 80 percent of his passes in Texas 45-35 win over Oklahoma.
Clemson senior QB Cullen Harper strug-
gled to get the offense going this season be-
hind a very young, average offensive line that
provided minimal protection, but after losing
to Wake Forest on national television last
Thursday night, head coach Tommy Bow-
den announced the following day that
Harper would be benched, giving backup
Willy Korn a chance vs. Georgia Tech.
Florida junior MLB Brandon Spikes
picked off two errant passes against LSU
QB Jarrett Lee, the second of which he re-
turned for a 52-yard touchdown, but his im-
maturity came through when he booted the
ball into the stands after scoring, drawing
an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Spikes was instrumental in shutting down
the Tigers running attack, holding LSU jun-
ior RB Charles Scott to 35 yards on 12
carries.
Penn State senior WR-RS Derrick
Williams continues to cement his name into
the Nittany Lions record books despite con-
tinuing to mishandle punts. Williams re-
turned a punt for a 63-yard touchdown on
Saturday against Wisconsin, giving him three
TD returns on the season. No Nittany Lion
had ever taken back three in a season prior
to him. However, he also muffed a punt that
Penn State was lucky to recover and
dropped a deep post inside Wisconsins 10-
yard line that would have gone for a score.
His hands have been inconsistent, but he
has shown the quickness to separate and a
flair for the big play.
Two weeks after being shut down by Al-
abama and injuring his elbow, Georgia soph-
omore RB Knowshon Moreno returned
running as hard as ever against Tennessee,
pounding and punishing tacklers with his
physical running style.
Texas Tech sophomore WR Michael
Crabtree came up big in the clutch for the
Red Raiders in their 37-31 overtime victory
against Nebraska, grabbing a 47-yard catch
on a 4th-and-5 late in regulation. Crabtree
set a school record for career TDs (31) when
he took a quick slant untouched 35 yards
through the Huskers secondary for a 7-0
lead in the first quarter.
Texas senior DT Roy Miller lined up at
fullback for the Longhorns and dropped a
wide-open flat pass on the goal line in the
one opportunity he was given to score, but
he followed it up by plowing a wide lane to
the endzone on the next play.
After carrying 35 more times against
Northwestern, Michigan State senior RB
Javon Ringer became the NCAAs active
leader for carries with 700 in 39 games.
Leading the country in rushing yards with
1,112, Ringer is now getting 35.3 carries per
game for the 6-1 Spartans.
COLLEGE NOTES
S
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NFL DRAFT 2009
34 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
AUDIBLES NFList
Theres a cycle for head coaches, and Andy Reid is in his 10th year. If he does not get it
turned around this year if I were in Philadelphia, I would be thinking about (Giants de-
fensive coordinator) Steve Spagnuolo. Not only could you strengthen your own, youre
hurting a key division rival by taking him away. Take him from the Giants. Make him the
head coach.
Jim Zorn has done a phenomenal job.
Hes getting the ball into the hands of his
playmakers. Hes finding ways to get (San-
tana) Moss open. Jason (Campbell) is ac-
curate hes become a passer, not a
thrower.
How many linebackers did the Patriots
draft before they hit on Jerod Mayo? Hell
be good for a long time if he stays healthy.
Bears S Kevin Payne is tight-hipped,
straight-linish and just bangs into anything
in front of him. The ball hits him in the
chest, and he does not see it coming. He
can only move forward. Mike Brown bit on
a double move that gave up a TD that lost
the (Buccaneers) game. Their safeties re-
ally got exposed against Tampa Bay.
Tampa-2 is the most overrated cover-
age in the NFL. You saw it in Al Davis letter
when he read it. Rob Ryan said he ran it at
the former head coachs recommendation
and got crushed. The league has figured
out how to beat cover-2. Take a look at
what Monte Kiffin is doing in Tampa. He
has adjusted.
Its like the blind leading the blind in
Kansas City. Do they have any idea what
they are doing?
As a general manager, you have to be
able to overrule your coaches on person-
nel (acquisitions). Too many are not willing
to do it. The good ones find a way to put
their egos aside and work through it to-
gether so they are both on the same page.
And what too many evaluators do not un-
derstand just because a player is start-
ing in the National Football League does
not mean that he is worthy of being paid
like a starter. The chief responsibility of
any evaluator is to assess value, and there
are a lot of NFL starters whose opportuni-
ties have come by default, not because
they earned them or are deserving of
them. Youve got to be able to know the dif-
ference before you pay them starter
money. Thats part of the reason there are
so many mistakes in free agency.
Reggie Bush has an uncanny ability to
set up his blockers. How many guys can
run full speed ahead and stick their foot in
the dirt at full speed and break off at a 90-
degree angle? Most people would snap a
hip bone he makes it look easy. Hes got
the vision that great backs have. They can
see it in front of them and feel it behind
them. If you look at all-purpose yardage in
every phase, is there anyone better?
If Im running the Rams, Im telling my
people that the 2009 playoffs are all that
matters. Im taking a look at the young
guys. Im looking for cheap veterans who
have a chance to play next year. Too many
coaches play for their win-loss records. I
play for the playoffs. The NFL is all about
making it to the playoffs. How do you get to
the playoffs? (Jim) Haslett can care less
about next year. (The current) staff has to
be in it for themselves. They have to win
now and show something or they are not
going to be around. It takes a talented
leader to work through individual visions
and see the ultimate vision, and they dont
have it right now.
Opinions vary on leagues
best kicker under pressure
By Mike Wilkening
Senior editor
You know how coaches feel about kick-
ers, a veteran special-teams coach was say-
ing recently.
He paused.
They feel like hes not part of the football
team until you need him.
Such is the lot of kickers, who can earn
their keep or lose their job in late-
game pressure situations. With this in
mind, we asked a panel of coaches this
question: If you had to pick one kicker to
attempt a 50-yard field goal on the road
with your club trailing by one point and
time left for only one more play, who would
it be?
So whats the ideal mindset for a success-
ful clutch kicker? One panelist had this inter-
esting take:
Generally your placekicker is very stable,
he said. Its a tough job. Punting, you can
slice one and it rolls 47 yards.
The best kickers, he added, are the same
guys every time.
And, judging from the votes of our pan-
elists, there are quite a few reliable kickers
out there. But that doesnt mean that clutch
kickers are easy to find, or that you can eas-
ily get by without one, as a couple of the
coaches interviewed by PFWnoted.
The problem is if you dont have one of
those guys, one coach said.
Here are the kickers whom our panel liked
most. All feedback was provided on the con-
dition of anonymity:
1. PK John Kasay / Panthers Said a
rival special-teams coach, Hes a pretty cool,
calm customer. Another coach also weighed
in on Kasay, saying, The bottom line is pro-
duction. You look at his production.
2. PK Adam Vinatieri / Colts If you
go by his history, you have to list him. If you
look at guys who have done it, hes done it.
3. PK Josh Brown / Rams Hes han-
dled so many big kicks, one voter said. He
makes it; hes not going to go crazy about it.
Hes going to get (the kick) up and out.
Noted another panelist, I think he extended
his career for a long time by going to St.
Louis.
4. PK Jason Elam / Falcons Hes still
got it, one special-teams coach said.
5. PK Shayne Graham / Bengals He
has a strong leg, noted a voter who said Gra-
hams transformation into one of the
leagues most consistent kickers has been
impressive.
Honorable mention
PK Rob Bironas / Titans The recipi-
ent of PFWs Golden Toe Award as the
NFLs most outstanding kicker in 2007,
Bironas hit 4-of-5 field goals from 50 yards
and beyond last season.
PK Kris Brown / Texans When youre
talking about 50 yards, he has to be on the
list, said one panelist, noting that Brown hit
all three attempts from 50 yards and longer
in a game vs. Miami in 07.
PK John Carney / Giants Entering
Week Six, the 44-year-old Carney had hit all
12 of his field-goal attempts. He hasnt made
a 50-yard kick since 2006, but one AFC as-
sistant coach believes that Carney has still
got plenty of leg for 50 (yards).
PK Jason Hanson / Lions Has hit a
field goal of 52 yards or longer in each of the
past four seasons.
PK Sebastian Janikowski / Raiders
Pressure doesnt bother him, one voter
said. Hes made enough kicks to be secure.
He may mishit it, but he wont be short.
However, the voter added that if the kick in
question were a 30-yarder, Janikowski not
known for exceptional accuracy wouldnt
make his list.
PK Ryan Longwell / Vikings His
longest field goal of the 2007 season was a
55-yarder as time expired at Chicagos Sol-
dier Field, a tough place to kick.
PK Joe Nedney / 49ers I think he
does better under pressure.
PK Jeff Reed / Steelers He just
makes clutch kick after clutch kick.
E
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/
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A
G
E
S
Rams PK Josh Brown established himself as
a strong-legged kicker outdoors in the Pa-
cific Northwest with the Seahawks. Now
that hes kicking indoors in St. Louis, his
long-range accuracy is expected to be even
more deadly.
O
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G
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E
J
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.
/
G
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Y
I
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S
The following quotes are from NFL scouts, coaches and front-office personnel, speaking
on the condition of anonymity.
35 Pro Football Weekly October 19, 2008
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